


Blind But Not Unseeing

by PrincessCipher



Series: Spectrum Soul [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Underfell, Alternate Universe - Underswap, F/F, F/M, Grillby's a good dad, I mean a LOT, Lots of Papyruses, Lots of Sanses, M/M, Multiverse, NaNoWriMo 2016, Traveling the universes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-01
Updated: 2017-07-14
Packaged: 2018-09-03 15:12:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 24
Words: 73,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8718703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincessCipher/pseuds/PrincessCipher
Summary: Growing up as the only kid to not be adopted from the orphanage was NOT fun, especially when you get kicked out on your birthday. Add that to the fact that monsters surfaced on that same day, your life was sort of upside down.When monsters got their rights, a lot of humans were angry. Including your old boss. After protecting a poor monster from his onslaught, you lost your job. In a stroke of what seemed like luck, that same monster offered to introduce you to a friend of hers.Of course, things were never easy. On your way to the interview, your life gets changed.Who knows if it would be for better or for worse.





	1. Your First Real Encounter

**Author's Note:**

> This is the thing I wrote for NaNoWriMo. I've been working on rewriting it, so the chapters will still take a bit to come out. However, the whole story has technically been written, so no writer's block should be stopping me!
> 
> Let me know what you think of the story! It's my first time writing in the Undertale 'verse, so I'm a bit nervous...

You lowered your gaze to the map help firmly in one of your hands, twisting it this way and that as you tried to get your bearings. While you had lived in this town for the majority of your life, the monsters had changed everything up. Buildings were abandoned by humans that didn't want to be near the 'menace' that they considered monsters to be. In turn, the newcomers took the newly open spaces and completely renovated them. None of the buildings looked the same anymore, which was fairly annoying.

And also why you were lost.

Growing up the oldest in the orphanage on the north end of town meant that you were often sent on errands that would make you go to the south, east, and west ends. When the monsters showed up a little over a month ago, you had just been released from the orphanage. It was odd that the same day that marked their escape from their apparent prison under Mount Ebott was your birthday.

About a week ago, monsters had finally received their rights. Their human ambassador was a huge help from what you'd heard here and there, but the largest help for them was that almost every single one of them was _nice_.

You didn't really care about monsters. As it stood, you didn't hate them. Honestly, you didn't love them, either. It was the same view you had of humans, actually. If you were being honest with yourself, they were the same in your mind. Living beings were some were nice and some could be assholes.

Your last boss fell into the latter category. He was a jerk, plain and simple. When monsters gained full rights, you were inclined to treat them as such. Unfortunately, your old boss didn't have the same ideals. Shortly after you'd let in and served a rather nice – and intelligent, if the way she spoke were any indication – dinosaur monster, you had been fired. Defending her when your boss tried to kick her out probably hadn't helped your case either.

Regardless, you knew that the situation had been blown out of proportion. As an apology, the nice monster – Alphys she'd introduced herself as – gave you the number of a friend that was looking for a waitress at his bar. Despite your initial reservations, you needed a job. The government would only give you support for a couple more months while you adjusted to not being in the orphanage.

A job was a job.

“Hey, PUNK!” a voice shouted out right beside you, making you almost drop the map.

As you fumbled with the object, managing to get it in one of your hands, you raised your gaze to whoever had spoken to you. “Um, h-hello?” you asked, voice barely audible.

The fish monster that had yelled grinned down at you, sharp teeth glinting in the sunlight. “You lookin' a little lost,” she hummed, seeming to quiet a little after seeing your reaction. “Need any help?”

You managed a nod, hands shaking a bit as you held out the map. It wasn't that you were afraid of the loud monster. Simply put, she had a rather intimidating presence. “Grillby's?”

“Don't need a stupid MAP for that, PUNK!” the monster cheered with a happy grin. “Go down this street for a few BLOCKS, got it?”

“O-oh,” you hummed, folding up the old map and slipping it into one of the pockets of your jeans. “Thanks a lot. I appreciate it.”

“Anytime!” the fish blurted out, clapping a hand on your shoulder. “There's a reason I'm almost chief of police.”

The woman gave a wave as she ran off, grinning all of the way. Smiling softly, you started making your way down the street again. It occasionally occurred to you that, while you weren't used to people being kind to you, it was nice every once in a while.

The bar came into view as you were contemplating. You had spoken to the owner a few times, though it was always over email or text. For some reason or another, he didn't seem to like talking that much. Regardless, he liked you enough to ask you to come in for an interview. From what you'd read and heard, the bar was a little hole-in-the-wall called Grillby's, named after the owner.

As you made your way to the door, a large hand grabbed your upper arm and pulled you into the alley beside the bar. Its owner tossed you roughly onto the cement, and you let loose a whimper as your elbow took the brunt of the damage.

“What do you think you're doing down here, human?” the masculine voice snarled, bringing your attention to its owner.

The man before was some sort of monster. Since you didn't know much about them – unsurprisingly – you couldn't quite place what kind he was or what magic he'd possess. Strange, white goop dripped from his body, disintegrating as it hit the ground. He had four eyes, two on either side of his face. The two on top were completely black, shimmering with the light that was filtering in to the alleyway. The lower eye on the left side of his face was almost completely covered by whatever goop he was made up of.

“Well, _human_?” he asked, grinning with jagged teeth. The angles suggested that he'd filed them himself.

“I'm just here for a job interview,” you mumbled, backing away as you tried to force yourself to your feet. “Please let me go.”

Monsters were known to possess magic that could be used to fighting, so you were a bit hesitant to anger the man. While you were trained in some forms of self defense, you were no match for a monster's magic. Besides, just like there were bad humans, there were bad monsters. What if this man happened to be one of them?

“Monster are having a hard enough time finding jobs as it is,” he purred, grinning at you with those jagged teeth of his, “and you want to take some of ours?”

“The job was recommended to me by a friend,” you choked out, feeling your chest and throat start to feel tighter. Adrenaline and panic were _not_ good combinations. “Please just let me by.”

“I'll have to teach you a lesson, _kiddo_.”

You jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding a blast of what seemed to be the same goop he was made out of. He lurched after you, claws emerging from his dripping arms. The following swipe forced you to fall back, and a pained grunt escaped your mouth. More globs of magic flew at you. While you managed to dodge the first couple by rolling out of the way, one of the blasts got you in the face.

A scream of pain flew from your lips as both hands raised to try and claw all of the goop off. Hearing the noise you were making, the monster cursed loudly. Over the sounds of your own whimpering, you heard the sound of his feet slamming into pavement as he ran away. You merely curled up into a ball, crying out in agony at the burning sensation.

After what had felt like hours of crying, an incredibly warm and large hand grasped your shoulder. A scream of terror escaped your throat, and you pulled yourself away from whoever was there.

“Human,” a warm, crackling voice mumbled. “You match the picture from the resume I received. Please try to calm yourself down. My name is Grillby.”

The voice's warmth was oddly comforting, and you recalled from what little you'd spoken with him that he was a fairly decent guy. With his words leading you, you slowed down your own breathing and tried to stop the incoming hyper-ventilation.

“Let me see the injury, human. I can only help if you allow me.”

You pulled your hands away from your face, shakily lifting yourself into a sitting position. As you lifted your gaze to get a good look at the man, your spine immediately straightened.

“Human?”

You couldn't see him.

You couldn't see anything.

 


	2. Not Quite the Same...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should really edit these before I post them.
> 
> Whoops.
> 
> I should also work on my college essays instead of writing fanfiction.
> 
> Whoops.

When you awoke the first time, you could hear a woman arguing with someone outside the room. Based on the sudden lulls in conversation, you assumed that either the other person was speaking too quietly or they were using a form of sign language.

“I am sorry, _sir_ , but without consent I cannot allow you in!” the voice shouted, the door to your room creaking open. “O-oh! My apologies, I hadn't realized that you were awake.”

“Who's outside?” you asked, raising a hand to feel around what was constricting your head.

Bandages.

“A monster brought you in yesterday evening.”

Yesterday?

“He was asking to be let in, but since he is neither a relative nor your emergency contact, we can't let him in.”

“Grillby?”

A clink to your left made you jump, and it took a moment to realize that the owner of the voice must have been a nurse. “Yes. If you want, I can let him in. I only need your verbal consent.”

“Please do.”

Having someone at least somewhat familiar would be more comforting than the nurse probably realized. Within moments of the door opening, something akin to a heater was beside your hospital bed.

“Human, how are you feeling?” he asked, voice crackling with concern.

“Other than my eyes, I feel fine,” you admitted, raising a hand to graze it over the bandages again. “Thanks for bringing me.”

There was a moment of silence again, followed by two warm hands grasping one of your own. “The nurse said that you had no one to call, so I stayed. Should I get in touch with someone?”

You frowned, leaning back into the pillows. “No one to call. The orphanage released me a little over a month ago, and my boss just let me go.”

“You will need someone to take care of you.”

“I'll manage somehow,” you replied with a small shrug. “I always have.”

A disapproving hum sounded from Grillby as he considered your statement. “You said you were released from an orphanage. Were you never adopted?”

“Nope. Didn't expect to be after I turned thirteen, anyway. No one wants to adopt a teenager.”

“Would you like to be adopted?”

You raised an eyebrow, turning your head in his direction. “I mean, who wouldn't? I never knew my parents, so it isn't like I have someone to miss or compare to. Problem is no one wants to adopt an adult. Especially now that I can't see anymore.”

“My apologies,” he hummed, gripping your hand a bit tighter. “Perhaps I was not clear enough. Would you like it if _I_ adopted you?”

“What?” you blurted, shooting back in surprise. “Why would you? I'm just gonna cause trouble at this point.”

“My daughter, Fuku, recently began traveling. She wanted to see everything the world had to offer. It is the first time I have been without a child in the home, and it is much too quiet for my tastes. I was planning to adopt regardless.”

“And just like that? You'd adopt the strange human that was attacked outside your shop?”

“I was planning to adopt,” he repeated.

“Your serious,” you muttered, mouth starting to gape.

“Yes, human, I am being serious.”

“Can I think about it?”

“Of course.”

 

*****

 

By the end of the week, the paperwork was done and processed, making you legally Grillby's child. It was more than a little strange to realize that you had a father now, and the whole situation was still surreal to you. Not to mention that he'd actually gone through all the work to adopt you and care for you.

You didn't even know why.

“Good morning, child,” the familiar, crackling voice hummed as its owner opened the door.

He'd taken to calling you 'child' instead of 'human', something you were actually glad of. It was nice to have a reminder that you had someone now.

The door clicked shut, and the scratch of a chair on tile suggested that Grillby had taken his usual seat by your bedside. “Do not tell the nurses, but I brought you a couple of Muffet's doughnuts for breakfast,” he added, a warm hand grabbing yours so he could press a paper bag into your hands.

Muffet was an apparent friend of Grillby's. She owned a bakery a few blocks away, and often went to the fire elemental for help with taste-testing. You guessed that she was a monster, but didn't quite have the guts to ask.

“Thanks,” you mumbled, turning your head in the direction the bag was in.

“Is something wrong?”

Curse his attentiveness.

“Child?”

You allowed a sigh to escape, turning your nonexistent gaze to where you heard his voice come from. “Why are you going through all this trouble, anyway? I don't have any insurance, meaning that you're paying for my hospital bill, and you even went so far as to adopt me,” you blurted out, feeling your shoulders droop with each word. “Why? Is it from pity?”

A warm hand rubbed the top of your head, heating your head. “No, child, it is not from pity,” he crackled, voice sounding a bit sad. “Though I understand why you might think that way.”

Guilt gnawed at you, worsening your already bad appetite.

“I believe that I mentioned my daughter Fuku to you once or twice before. From what little I had talked to you before meeting you for the first time, I came to a realization. You reminded me a lot of her,” he explained, rubbing your head as comfortingly as he could manage. “You are both kind and intelligent, not to mention brave. I did not decide to adopt you out of pity. While you may be an adult, everyone needs a parent. I was happy to have another child, especially one so similar to Fuku.”

It took you a moment to realize that there were now tears staining the back of the bandages. You raised a hand to the arm on your head, following it so you could find Grillby's exact location. Once you'd found him, you wrapped both arms around him in a large hug.

“Thank you,” you mumbled into the silk of his vest.

“It is nothing, my child. Now please eat up. They are planning to release you today, and I have a few gifts for you when we return.”

You raised an eyebrow, gratefully opening the bag and starting on a monster doughnut. Muffet had yet to start mastering human foods, apparently. “A gift?”

“Yes. One of them is from me and the other one is from a friend of mine. Her name is Alphys.”

“Alphys?” you asked, raising an eyebrow. “Little yellow dinosaur?”

“You've met her?” Grillby asked, surprise clear in his voice.

“She's the monster that I protected in order to get fired.”

A chuckle escaped the fire man. “No wonder she was so willing to hand over her prototype when I mentioned your name.”

“Prototype?”

“A phone she created to aid the blind. It is capable of understanding nearly every command and reading everything out to you. It is still in its prototype phase, but she was willing to have you test it.”

“So she knows that I'm blind now?”

“Yes, but she promised to keep it a secret for you. Speaking of keeping your blindness a secret, I bought you some new clothes. From what I saw from your apartment, most of your old ones were torn and had many stains,” he explained, smile clear in his voice. “Since you mentioned that you did not want anyone to see your bandages, I found a sweatshirt with a big hood. Well, several different sweatshirts, actually. I was unsure which of them would be the best since I do not wear them, so I bought one of each.” Coughing in embarrassment, he added, “Regardless, they should be able to hide your face somewhat.”

A soft, honest smile spread across your features. “Thanks, Grillby.”

“Think nothing of it.”

 

*****

 

You plopped down on the bed in the room Grillby had prepared for you, having already spent half an hour mapping it out. The room itself seemed like it was out of some magazine, which made sense since Grillby probably didn't want to mess up what a 'human' room would look like. The floor was heated hardwood complete with a plush rug that spanned the half of the room with the bed. After some exploration – and climbing – you had discovered that the bed was of the canopy variety.

Where Grillby had scrounged up the money for this, you had no idea.

Regardless, the fire elemental had made sure that the room was complete with a dresser and wardrobe, the latter filled with over twenty different sweatshirts. The window had a seat on it, something he mentioned that Fuku had insisted on when he called to ask her about what she would have liked if she were here. You weren't certain what a window seat would do for a _blind person_ , but you appreciated the gesture.

At the very least, you were relatively sure you could move around the room without bumping or tripping over anything now, which was pretty nice.

A nagging feeling of annoyance and self-pity that had been lingering in the back of your mind flared. You just wanted to do normal things again. Was it so bad to want to read a book? Or to look at pictures? Or to read the texts on your phone – all from Grillby, but still – without having a voice read them to you?

A knock sounded at the door, interrupting your impromptu pity party. “May I come in, child?”

“Sure thing, Grillby,” you called back, waving when you heard the door open.

The man made his way over to you, setting a small cup in your lap and making sure you were holding it tight before letting go. “This is a special monster drink that was made to help those that are falling down.”

Falling down? If you recalled from your lesson on souls and monsters, that essentially meant death. A monster's soul would lose all of its hope before simply dusting. The actual death was usually preceded with lethargy and depression, and the soul would slowly become more and more damaged. It _could_ be stopped, but the damage already done was irreversible.

Was Grillby worried you were falling?

“At the very least,” the man continued, seeming unaware of your inner confusion, “it should help any damage that was done to your soul.”

“My soul?” you asked, slightly surprised. Did he really suspect that you were in danger of losing hope? Your soul hadn't even appeared during the battle!

“Yes. Please drink, child.”

You did as he requested, immediately regretting it at the awful taste and smell that invaded your sense. A groan of unease escaped you as you thrust the empty glass back toward the fire elemental. At the motion, intense pain blossomed from your chest.

Within seconds, you had blacked out.

 

*****

 

When you awoke later, there was a still a lingering throbbing in your chest. It was directly above your sternum, suggesting that it wasn't your heart, which was nice to know. After some initial confusion of where you were, you remembered going to your new house with Grillby after being released from the hospital. Realizing that you were in your own bed was actually a very comforting feeling. After flailing about for a moment, you located the phone Alphys had gifted to you for testing.

“ARP?” you grumbled out, once again questioning the strange name for the device. “What time is it?”

“The time is nine, twenty-four PM.”

“Thanks, ARP.”

Groaning loudly, you slid to the edge of your bed and tried to stand. Your first effort ended with you back on the bed, knees having given out. The second attempt was much more successful, though you felt much more tired than you probably should have. Your entire body felt like it had been run over by a small car, but you wanted to know what the heck Grillby had given you to make you feel like this.

With more than an average amount of effort, you managed to find one of the sweatshirts – a black one with blue accents, according to ARP – and slip it over your head. Based on the time, the bar was probably open and Grillby would be downstairs working with different customers. If you could help it, none of them would be seeing your bandages.

You adjusted the hood of your sweatshirt with that thought in mind, grabbing ARP before heading out the door and making your way downstairs. After knocking over a few picture frames and swearing at the table they had been resting on, you managed to make your way to the bar's kitchen entrance.

A soft, gray light glittered on the other side of the wall, being both strange and familiar at the same time. You had never seen anything of its kind before, nor felt the emotions that seemed to be coming off of it. However, you felt like you had _met_ it before.

It was new.

After focusing for a few moments, more of the lights appeared. They varied in shades of gray, all being brighter than the first light you had noticed, but none gave the same feeling of familiarity.

Nearing the door, you became aware that the first light grew another color. A soft green blossomed from its glow, and you got a _very_ distinct feeling from it.

Kindness.

You pushed open the door, wanting to know what the strange green and gray light was and allowing your curiosity to take over. It emanated surprise for a moment, and was soon followed by a voice that seemed to be coming from wherever the light was coming from.

“Child? You are awake?”

It was... Grillby? Why could you 'see' Grillby? Or his essence... or whatever it was?

“D-dad?” you gasped out, too confused and overwhelmed to really notice what you had said.

The light seemed to glide close, though if you focused harder you could make out what appeared to be actual limbs. Upon reaching you, Grillby's hand moved to your back and guided you back through the door. With some extra thought, you could feel confusion and surprise coming from the other gray lights.

“How are you feeling, child? Any better?”

You frowned, lifting your gaze to where the light suggested his face was. “I can sort of see you,” you mumbled, shifting with uneasiness. “You're giving off this weird gray-ish light.” Surprise and interest immediately flooded from the light, and you told him so.

Grillby stepped forward, hugging you tightly as the emotions changed to familial love and relief. “It seems that you have regained some form of sight.”

“What am I looking at?”

“If I had to guess, I would say that you are looking at my soul, or, at the very least, the energy that it naturally gives off. As I stated during the lesson, all monster souls are either white or gray.”

You nodded slowly, reaching out and focusing on the gray and white lights that were still in the bar. “It that why there's a lot of gray lights out there?” you asked, pointing back toward the door.

“You can sense all of that?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

A strained chuckle escaped the man, the noise sounding like a large branch that had just snapped from the heat of a fire. “I am so relieve, child. I had hoped that the medicine would help you in some way.”

It would definitely take some getting used to, but being able to see creatures' souls meant that you would probably be able to find your way around easier. At the very least, you weren't completely blind anymore! You still had a chance!

A surge of malicious feelings from the bar sent pain spiraling through your head. Dizziness soon followed as you tried to force the emotion away from your own. Concern flashed across Grillby's soul for a moment as he leaned back, hands checking you for injuries.

“I think someone is trying to steal something from the bar,” you managed through gritted teeth.

It seemed that this strange new ability of yours – Soul Sight, you decided – was going to have some drawbacks as well. You would have to work toward keeping others' emotions from affecting you.

Annoyance came next as Grillby lightly pulled you with him as he went back into the bar. After settling you down in one of the stools, he escorted the monster from before out of his establishment.

The rest of the night after that was pretty uneventful, aside from the delicious meal your father provided. No one was willing to approach the human that had come out of Grillby's home, though there were definitely a lot of curious feelings directed toward you.

For the most part, you spent the night trying to hone your new ability. You found that focusing on one soul too much was almost painful since it flooded you with their emotions.

I didn't take long to realize Grillby's soul definitely had color. To some extent, you didn't want to tell him yet. He had been pretty adamant in his soul lesson that monster souls didn't have color.

So where had that flash of kindness come from?

 


	3. New... Friends...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look. More stuff.
> 
> Thanks for the great response, everyone! I'm a Professional Writing major and I was starting to wonder if my writing was actually any good (the other writers are so much better :/ ), but you guys have filled me with DETERMINATION!
> 
> Thanks again!

You awoke the next day feeling, for the first time in a long time, moderately refreshed. Sleep, something that often alluded you, had come the moment your head had hit the pillow the night before. Plus, instead of waking up to an alarm, you were waking to the smell of your favorite breakfast.

“ARP?” you grumbled out. “The time?”

“It is currently seven forty-nine AM.”

“Thanks, ARP.”

You would never understand how Grillby managed to work until two in the morning on weekdays – four on Saturday and Sunday mornings – just to get up no later than seven. While you wondered if part of it was because of you being here, he seemed too used to the schedule. Maybe part of his magic made it so that he didn't have to sleep.

You wished you were magic.

With that thought in mind, you climbed out of bed and gathered up your clothes for the day. After double and triple checking that you had every article, you made your way into the bathroom to take a quick morning shower. You had yet to have one since yesterday morning, and, since you had gone right to bed after the bar closed, you didn't take one the night prior.

After shedding your clothes, you paused. A hand hovered hesitantly over the bandages, and a part of you wanted to keep them on. You couldn't, especially since the scars should be cleaned out, but the thought was incredibly tempting.

A breath escaped your lips as the last of the bandages fell, and you wasted no time in balling them up and throwing them into the trash bin. The fingers of your left hand traced over the burns, mostly healed from the amount of monster food you had been taking in, though still tender to the touch. It would definitely scar.

With a soft sigh, you turned the shower on and stepped underneath its spray. The water was freezing, but you sat there as it adjusted to a more reasonable temperature, wanting nothing more than to have something – _anything_ – distract you from the many images that your brain was trying to formulate of what you looked like.

Finding the shampoo and body wash that Grillby had picked out was fairly easy since he'd made sure that the bottles were completely different. After cleaning everything and getting off all – or most of, it was hard to tell without looking – of the wash, you hopped out and got dressed. After a bit of deliberation, you decided to keep the hood of your sweatshirt down since Grillby was already used to the bandages.

Despite creeping down the stairs as quietly as you could, you could sense Grillby's acknowledgment of your arrival from his soul. That meant you couldn't sneak up and surprise him.

Damn.

“Good morning, Grillby,” you called out, a bit upset that you hadn't been able to sneak up on him.

Beneath the warm, contended feeling that seemed to be the elemental's staple was a strange sense of vague disappointment. Why would he be disappointed? Had you picked the wrong sweatshirt or something?

“Did you sleep well, child?”

You carefully sat down at the table, swiping your hands over the surface to make sure that nothing was before you. “Yup! Way better that I did at the hospital, anyway.”

“I am glad,” he hummed in response, setting a plate before you and pushing a cup against one of your hands.

He had adjusted to your blindness surprisingly fast considering that you were fairly certain this was the first time he has had to deal with someone who was blind. Well, if the way he had seemed so unsure of how to act around you the first day or two were any indication anyway.

“Thank you for breakfast,” you said with a bright smile, your grin widening as you found the silverware. “How did _you_ sleep?”

“Better now that you are safely home, my child.”

At his stressing of the final word, you suddenly realized where the earlier disappointment had stemmed from. Last night, after waking up from that _awful_ drink that had knocked you out, you had called him dad. Had you really grown that attached _already_? Then again, it wasn't really that surprising. This was your first time with a dad.

It was the sudden surge of confusion and worry that surged from Grillby's soul that launched you from your thoughts. “Are you all right, child? You have yet to touch your breakfast.”

“Oh, I was just thinking,” you admitted with a bit of a sheepish smile. “Sorry..., dad.”

The sudden flood of surprise, contentment, and happiness that came with your calling him that made it something you promised to do more in the future.

“Any plans for today?” you asked about halfway through the meal.

A soft, humming crackle came from the fire elemental. “I need to pick up some groceries for the restaurant. I also made a promise to Muffet that I would stop by and help her with taste-testing some new pastries.”

You straightened up, remembering that Grillby had mentioned the other monster a few times during your stay in the hospital. “Would I be able to come?”

“Of course,” the man replied with a loud bark of laughter. You imagined he didn't laugh like that often, and definitely not in public. “I told Muffet that you were recovering from an illness, which is why you had been in the hospital. She is very much looking forward to meeting you.”

“And I'm looking forward to those pastries,” you replied, giving him a bright smile before digging back into your meal.

Grillby let another laugh escape, and you noted that his soul was emanating a constant feeling of content.

 

*****

 

Despite still getting used to your Soul Sight and the idea of being mostly blind, you hadn't imagined walking down the street to be such a feat. Grillby was leading you by the elbow so that you didn't accidentally wander into the road or slam into a telephone pole, but your body kept reflexively flinching away from every monster soul that passed by. Despite you belief that not every single one of them could be bad – hell, look at Grillby – you couldn't _see_ them. What if one of them was the one that had attacked you?

Grillby didn't seem to blame you at all. In fact, he was just worried about your worsening anxiety over simply being outside. At one point, he actually moved further away from the road just so that those that passed by were more likely to go by him than you.

“Sorry,” you mumbled once you reached the store, holding tighter to the man's arms.

“It is a natural reaction, child,” he replied, patting your head softly. “Do not be sorry for something that you can not control.”

You just nodded in response, trying to ignore the guilt gnawing at your stomach as you took the basket he had handed you. Since you could easily tell his soul out from the rest of the crowd due to the flash of green and the familiarity, it was simple for you to just follow behind him. He occasionally asked questions about different brands of food or condiments which you did your best to answer. It was weird, considering that he was surprised that so much of what he used to buy were the less tasty options. At one point, you spent ten minutes listening to him look at ketchup. You were fairly certain that he put at least thirty bottles in his cart.

You decided not to question it.

As you walked through the store, trailing behind Grillby, you wondered what the two of you looked like to others. Monsters lived a _really_ long time, so you doubted that Grillby that old, and you were an adult now. Did people see you as a parent and his child? Or did you look like a couple?

A shiver went up your spine at that final thought, and you tossed it from your mind.

By the time you reached the checkout, you had flinched at twenty-seven passing passing monsters and twelve humans. Grillby had only given you a couple containers of breadcrumbs to carry in your basket, and a part of you realized that you only had the basket so you wouldn't feel bad.

Hell, you had felt reluctance from his soul when he had handed the breadcrumbs over. They weren't even that heavy!

Unsurprisingly, Grillby only let you carry the bag with the breadcrumbs and two bags of tortilla chips. You spent most of the walk back to the bar trying to get him to give you some more, but he adamantly refused. Kept saying that you were still recovering and that he was used to carrying even more that what he had bought today.

Jerk.

As you reached the bar, knowing where you were because Grillby kept listing off street names and different landmarks, you sensed two presences outside. They were both clearly monsters, though one of their souls shone so bright that you worried of the power its owner must have possessed.

It made you uncomfortable.

You tugged on Grillby's arm, hissing out, “ _dad_.”

The man's soul instantly went on edge. “What is wrong, my child?”

“There's two souls right outside the bar. They're just loitering by the door, and I don't think they're going to leave anytime soon.”

Grillby pat you head softly, the warmth helping to calm you down somewhat. “Stay behind me, my child.”

You nodded, staying as close to him as you could without tripping over his feet. Your free hand lifted to clutch at the back of his vest. Each step seemed tenser than the last, and the soul just before you was just as worried as you were, if not more.

Suddenly, Grillby's soul flooded with relief. “They are a couple of my friends, child. Do not be afraid.”

You still followed behind him, trying to get a reading on both of the souls. The stronger of the two gave off a bright white light that you couldn't look at for two long while the one beside it was much duller but still brighter than most. A part of you wondered what type of magic they possessed.

The brighter one seemed to start, giving off a bit of relief combined with some emotion you had a hard time placing a moment later. You figured he was happy to see your dad.

“hey there, grillbs. I, uh, forgot that you weren't open all day anymore.”

“I DID TRY TO TELL HIM, BUT HE REFUSED TO LISTEN TO WHAT I SAID.”

Whoever owned the other soul was really loud. The volume of his voice put you on edge. The first voice sounded pretty laid back, but it still made you vaguely uncomfortable. While you were still pretty sure that neither of them were the one that had attacked you, they _could_ be his friends or something.

“Child, would you please open the door to the bar for me?” your father asked, his voice an almost silent hum in your ear.

Glad to have something to do other than hide before them, you nodded and slipped the key he had given you from your pocket. “Okay, dad,” you whispered back, just as quiet. Grillby gently pushed you in the right direction, and you found the door in no time. It took a moment for you to realize that he had done it in a way that would keep the two of his friends from finding out you were blind. It warmed your heart.

Well, it would have if the surprise and confusion coming from the two new souls wasn't overpowering your senses. Trying your best to ignore them, you carefully unlocked and opened the door, holding it open for Grillby and the other two to come through. Once they had come in, you locked the door again – no need to leave it unlocked when the bar wasn't open – and brought your groceries to the kitchen.

Both of the new souls took a seat at the bar, not trying to enter the back. It was a bit calming to note that they would stay in the bar itself, and not enter the house section of the building. The back of the building could definitely serve as your safe haven.

After putting away the perishables to the best of your ability, you made your way back into the bar. Grillby was moving around, and, based on the clinking, was getting together a few drinks for the guests. You just lingered by the door, trying to get a read on the new souls' emotions and any bad intents they might have.

Seeming to sense your own discomfort, the owner of the brighter soul coughed a bit awkwardly. “why don't you come sit with us, kid?”

Grillby's soul emanated a vague sense of worry as you slid onto one of the seats, leaving an empty one between you and the new monsters. A strange annoyance slipped out from the brighter soul at your actions, but the other merely seemed confused.

“I KNOW THAT WE CAN BE VERY INTIMIDATING, HUMAN! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM ACTUALLY VERY NICE.”

Well, at least he was trying to make you feel better. The suspicion and malice coming from the other one was starting to make your head hurt.

“we don't bite, kiddo.”

The light of the souls blinked out of your sight, your muscles tensing as you listened to his words. Terrifying memories flashed through your mind at a rapid place, each breath coming faster and faster as one line in particular came back to you.

_“I'll have to teach you a lesson, kiddo.”_

You stood from your seat, nearly tripping over it in your rush. “I'm gonna go finish organizing my room,” you gasped out, making a break for the door that let into the kitchen.

A familiar worry flooded out of Grillby's soul, combined with a sense of uneasiness and confusion the brighter soul whose owner had said that _word_. The other soul was emanating confusion and annoyance, though the latter appeared to be directed at his companion instead of you.

Today was going to be a _long_ day.

 

*****

 

The soft sounds of some of your favorite, non-lyrical music filtered out of ARP's high quality speakers while you did your best to drown out that voice. Tears streamed from your eyes, staining the bandages that you wore.

When the door opened and Grillby came in, you weren't quite sure how long it had been. He immediately made his way to your bed, sitting beside you and pulling you into his warm embrace.

“They have left,” he hummed in that soft crackling of his. It was oddly calming to you, and he seemed to know that.

“I know,” you mumbled into his chest, wrapping your arms around his torso. The souls had left your range a little while ago, just before your father came up to see you.

“I did not tell them about your blindness, nor that you were attacked. I did tell them that I adopted you from a bad situation.”

You leaned back a little, lifting your head to give the elemental a confused glance. “Why didn't you tell them?”

“It is your story to tell,” he replied with a simple shrug, soul bursting with gentleness and kindness.

The green sparks in his soul strengthened as you gazed at them. Was he absolutely positive that monster souls had no color? Your Soul Sight was making it pretty clear that the information was wrong.

“Thanks, dad,” you said, trying to push the thought of soul colors out for the time being.

“It is nothing, my child. How does taste-testing sound?”

You smiled brightly at him, trying to remain positive as you hopped out of bed to grab a different sweatshirt. “It sounds wonderful.”

 

*****

 

The walk to Muffet's bakery went pretty much the same as the walk to the grocery store, with you feeling undeniably guilty by the end of it. While Grillby still chose not to blame you, it was hard to not feel bad for flinching by _every single monster_. The bakery itself was filled with monsters, but your father led you to a corner where there were the fewest. It didn't take long for a fairly strong monster soul to approach.

“Why, hello, dearies,” the owner of the voice called out in an incredibly strange voice. “You must be the young girl I have heard _so much_ about.”

Her identity clicked in your mind at her words. This must be Muffet. If memory served correctly, Grillby had said that she was the spider monster that he often worked with. Her strange tone of voice seemed to match that.

There was some shifting across the table, and it took a moment for you to realize that he must have been using sign language. Before the incident, he had once mentioned in a text that he usually used sign language.

Why did he talk to you, then?

“Ahuhuhu~, I would _love_ a human opinion on my pastries. Let me get the newest batch.”

Once Muffet had moved away, you turned your full attention to Grillby. “I only sense one other human soul,” you muttered. “Does she not get a lot of human business?”

“Most of her food is geared toward monsters, since that is what she is best trained with,” he explained. “The humans that aren't put off by her appearance or her spider workers tend to not like the food.”

You thought of the human soul in the room, a bright red that your brain decided was determination. They seemed to be pretty happy with what they were eating, though there was some disgust hidden in deep in their soul. There was a strangely colored monster soul with them, but the two seemed to be getting along well. Why did that monster have a pink soul?

“Ahuhuhu~,” Muffet giggled as she approached, effectively ending both your thoughts and the conversation. “This is my best batch yet, I think. I made it especially for the two of you when I heard that _both_ of you would be coming.” She set a plate before the two of you, sitting down beside Grillby.

Sensing that her anticipation was directed at you, you carefully grabbed one of the treats. It was soft to to the touch, but also really sticky. Assuming that the stickiness was frosting, you took a hesitant bite.

You almost gagged.

“Have you eaten these?” you asked, frowning a bit.

Confusion flashed across Muffet's soul. “I haven't.... Those are the ones that I designed for humans.”

“Way too sweet,” you managed, swallowing the rest of the pastry and trying to scrape the residue off onto your molars. “The pastry itself is good, amazing even, by the frosting is just, uh....”

The happiness that came from the monster across from you was a bit surprising. “Ahuhuhu~, honest feedback. I quite like this human of yours, Grillby.”

“I do, too,” your father replied with a small chuckle that made your heart swell with happiness. The warm, content feeling was coming from his soul again, and you realized that he'd spoken just to get his point across to you.

You nibbled quietly on the small pastry as Grillby started giving his own feedback, if the sound of pencil against paper were any indication. It was nice to just sit and block out the souls as you ate. You imagined that this was what it was like for someone who could see to shut their eyes. Shutting off the world like that at the simple flick of a switch was oddly relaxing.

Upon eating everything but the frosting – which had hardened into an oddly ghost-shaped shell while you were eating – you set down the remains and picked up the next pastry. Across from you, the scribbling and Muffet's side of the conversation stopped. Opening your senses again, you felt the same anticipation from Muffet as well as some curiosity from your father. This one felt like a regular doughnut, but a small squeeze revealed that it had jelly on the inside.

A bit scared of what this one would taste like, you took a small bite of the pastry. The doughnut itself was ridiculously dry and crumbled in the worst way, but the filling itself was heavenly.

“What's in this?” you asked, voice soft and filled with awe. Your head tilted to side as you tried to narrow down the strange taste. It wasn't like anything you remembered, and not being able to see color wasn't helping at all.

“Echo Flower filling, ahuhuhu~,” the spider monster giggled out.

“Echo Flower?” you repeated, taking another bite. “This is delicious! I never imagined that a flower could taste this amazing!”

“I am _so_ glad that you're enjoying it, dearie!” Muffet practically purred, her soul giving off a happiness so intense it was impossible to brush off.

“Well, the doughnut itself is a bit dry, but I could eat this filling with anything!” You heard the sound of a pencil against paper and realized that Muffet was writing down what you were saying. With that in mind, you added, “if you're trying to get more humans, I would use these to attract them.”

“Ahuhuhu~!” she giggled, practically jumping from her seat. “I'll need to tell the spiders to fix the recipe. Thank you, dearie!”

Grillby chuckled at your confused expression. “She seems very excited,” he crackled once the spider was gone, “I know that she was wanted to attract more humans for awhile.”

…

…

…

“Did she say spiders?”

“Yes,” your father replied, laughing a bit harder.

“Weird,” you mumbled with a slight shake of your head, trying your best to not picture a bunch of spiders baking your food – and crawling all over it – as you moved your hands over the rest of the plate. The only remaining thing was another Echo Flower doughnut. “Do you know the other human?”

“Hm?” Grillby hummed, seeming a bit surprised by your question. “Yes, I have met them many times. How could you tell?”

“Your soul is giving off some fondness directed toward their soul.”

“That ability of yours may be a bit too strong,” he said with a small chuckle. “Their name is Frisk.”

You scrunched up your eyebrows and nose in thought. “As in the monster ambassador and savior of all monsters?”

“That is correct, my child.”

“Huh.” You turned in their direction, trying to get a better read on their soul.

There was a strange feeling constantly coming off of the human. Determination, your soul told you. Whenever their attention turned to the monsters around them, there was a distinct happiness.

“Would you like to meet them?”

“What?” you asked, turning to him in surprise.

“Would you like to meet them?” he repeated, smile clear in his voice.

You shrugged. “I'm don't know, if I'm being honest. I'm not sure how well we'd get along. You should have Muffet give them one of these doughnuts, though. Their soul is expressing a bit of disgust toward whatever their eating.”

Grillby laughed again, a sound you were beginning to like. “I shall tell her before we leave.”

 


	4. Kindness With a Layer of Glitter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Titles have hints, occasionally.
> 
> They're also random things I come up with on the spot. *shrugs*
> 
> I usually like my chapters to be at least 3,500 words (though I prefer over 4,000), but this one is a bit shorter since it reached a good stopping point. The beginning of the next chapter is a mini-arc that should span the length of a full-sized chapter, so I decided to not leave you on a cliffhanger of sorts.
> 
> Enjoy the next installment!

When you awoke the next morning, you were vaguely aware of another soul downstairs. Based on the direction, it seemed to be in the kitchen instead of the bar. Which was odd, since it meant that Grillby had let the owner of the soul into his _home_. If you recalled, this strange pink monster soul was one that you had met before.

Maybe it was the day before at Muffet's?

Feeling your curiosity overwhelm you, you got out of bed and slipped on the first sweatshirt you grabbed. Making sure the hood was firmly over your head, you made your way downstairs. ARP was placed in the pocket of your sweatshirt, since you had had to change out of your fluffy pajama pants.

Just outside the door to the kitchen, you focused all of your energy on the strange, pink soul. Surprise flashed across your mind as you realized that the soul itself was actually white with a layer of pink over it. If what Grillby had told you was true, then why did this monster have so much color?

You pushed open the door lightly, making sure to shut it behind you. Grillby's soul thrummed with happiness upon seeing you, making a small smile spread across your face.

“Good morning, my child.”

“Good morning, dad,” you hummed, deciding to ignore the other soul for now as you slipped into the seat across from it. “Did you sleep well last night?”

“Very much so. It was a busy night last night. Did you?”

“Yup!” you chimed back, grinning when the clink of a bowl sounded in front of you. It took almost no time at all to locate the spoon and start eating your oatmeal.

Man, Grillby was such a good cook.

“Child,” your father said in that soft voice of his, taking the seat beside you at the table, “this is Mettaton.”

“Why, hello, dear,” the robotic man purred, the grin clear in his voice. “It is wonderful to meet you. Grillby has said _so much_ about you.”

You turned your head in his direction. “It's nice to meet you, too.”

A ringing sound cut through the air, causing a vaguely annoyed feeling to escape the monster's soul. “I am terribly sorry, my dear, but I'll have to take this.”

As the door shut behind him, Grillby turned his attention to you. “I know that you are upset with your reflexive reaction to monsters,” he explained, a bit of guilt seeping into his words, “so I thought that Mettaton might be able to help.”

“Why?”

“I am sure that you have noticed his soul is different than that of other monsters'.”

You nodded, scrunching up your face in confusion. “Well, of course _I_ know that, but why would you? I thought monsters would only see the soul of another when they... uh... got together.”

“Oh, ah, well... Mettaton is a bit different,” Grillby forced out, embarrassment rolling off his soul wave after wave. “He was originally a ghost, creatures whose souls tend to be rather weak. When he chose a body and become corporeal, it just so happened that he chose to have his soul on display.”

“That sounds like it shouldn't be like that.”

“It shouldn't.”

A laugh escaped you at how deadpan Grillby sounded when he said that. “All right, I'll keep that in mind, then.” You shrugged in an attempt to brush off that particular conversation, trying to hide your smile by eating some more oatmeal. “So..., you're trying to get me to make a monster friend?”

The seed of guilt from before blinked briefly from deep within his soul. “To some extent. I merely thought that you two might along well, and he called me up to ask something. It would be good for you to have someone to talk to aside from myself and ARP.”

“You're pretty good at this whole 'dad' thing, ya know?” you mumbled, raising an eyebrow.

Grillby laughed, the same boisterous noise that he only let go when it was just the two of you. “I _have_ had practice, my child.”

The opened moments later, Mettaton sauntering back in. “Sorry about that, dears. Alphys was checking in to make sure we were up for some adjustments to help with the suspension in my legs..., though you probably don't care about that.” He hopped back into his chair, curiosity rolling off of his soul as he said, “I'm more interested about you, dear.”

Grillby apparently took this as his cue to leave, muttering something about needing to check his garden. You were just surprised he had a garden.... If you recalled, there wasn't a yard around the bar. Did he had a greenhouse-like room or something?

“So, dear, anything to talk about?”

You frowned a bit, not really knowing where to start. “My life is hardly interesting,” you finally decided on. “Hell, I just turned eighteen a few weeks ago.”

“Oh! What was your part like?” He sounded genuinely interested, and his soul gave the same feeling, but the question made you feel a bit upset.

“I didn't have a party.”

“What?! No party when you became an adult? That is _hardly_ right! Monsters hold huge events when one becomes of age!” The robot seemed absolutely horrified by your answer, and it showed in his soul.

“I lived in an orphanage,” you deadpanned, not really bothering to sugarcoat the scenario at all. This wasn't anything new to you. That place had been your home for as long as you could remember. “They gave me a cupcake and sang a song before kicking me out.”

Sadness and sympathy practically burst from the monster's soul. “That will _not_ do at _all_! You'll have to let me plan you a party, dear!”

“You don't need to throw me a party out of pity,” you mumbled, feeling a bit embarrassed from all of the attention. “It's not really that big of a deal, after all. I can have a party on my next birthday or something.” In all honesty, you'd never even had a party. The orphanage didn't have the money or time to throw any.

“It is _not_ pity, dear,” the robot cut in. “I'm sure Grillby would feel the same way if you told him you didn't have a ceremony.”

“I can't put anymore pressure on all of the people that are caring for me!” you argued right back. “Hell, I can't even find a job!”

Mettaton seemed a bit surprised at your outburst, but he recovered fairly quickly. “If I can find you a job that suits you, then would you consider letting me plan a party for you?”

You scoffed lightly, turning your head away from your new companion as sadness started to creep into your soul. “Thanks for the offer, but I don't think I could find a job anytime soon.”

“I have a department store near here that needs another person to work the help desk.”

You merely shook your head. There was no way you could work a job that would require to look at things.

“It would only be dealing with emails and phone calls.”

A strange emotion flickered in the monster's soul, and you suddenly realized why he was so sure he find you a suitable job.

“How did you know that I can't see?” you growled out, starting to wonder if Grillby would have given your secret away like that.

“Dear,” Mettaton sighed, tapping his fingers against the counter, “I am a robot, as you could probably tell by my voice or what Grillby may have told you. My eyes can almost instantly adjust to darkness. Your face is well hidden, but I can still see the bandages that cover your eyes.”

Sadness gripped at your chest, ruining the rest of your appetite. You pushed the bowl of oatmeal away, laying your head against the table with your arms as a soft pillow.

“I won't tell anyone.”

The sincerity in his soul and voice made you start. “Why not?” you mumbled into your arms, sure that he could hear you despite how muffled it was.

“Why do you think I offered you that job? The emails could be read to you through a program and phone calls are auditory, so it would be simple for you to work without anyone realizing that you can't see completely.”

“Completely?”

“Someway or another, you have _always_ known where Grillby or I were, not to mention being able to read our expressions. I won't ask how, but you should at least consider it.” He chuckled softly. “At least give me an answer before Grillby comes back. I wouldn't put it past him to kill me for giving you a reason to leave his watchful eye. He's a great man, but an incredibly protective father.”

An honest laugh escaped, surprising you a bit. When your father had suggested befriending this man... robot... thing..., you had never expected it to actually go this well. With that in mind, you considered his proposal. Given that the hours were part time, you could probably do it pretty well. While you weren't all that excited about the idea of a party, a job sounded like a good way to pass the time and get used to your surroundings and abilities.

But there was one problem remaining...

“Who would my coworkers be?”

“Hm?” Mettaton hummed, apparently not expecting that particular question. “The manager is a lovely man by the name of Florin. Jamie works the desk on the customer side of things. For the most part, those are the only two you would be dealing with.”

You shifted in your seat, getting a bit uncomfortable at the fact he hadn't answered the real question. “Are they monsters?”

A lot of surprise and a little bit of hurt burst from Mettaton's soul, making the guilt in your stomach worsen. “I'm... sorry? What was that?”

“I, uh...,” you trailed off, cutting yourself off from his soul. Just thinking about the event started to make you panic a bit, you just settled on, “one hurt me.”

The sudden understanding that rolled off of the robot surprised you. “Oh, I understand! Please don't stress yourself over telling me the story, dear. It's not something I _need_ to hear. Jamie and Florin are both humans, though some of the other employees and customers are monsters.”

“That should be okay, then,” you mumbled, still vaguely uncomfortable. “What would the hours be?”

“Let's say... ten to two everyday but Sunday, since that's when the desk is the busiest. It gets hard for Jamie to handle the emails, phone calls, and in-store customers.”

Part of you began to wonder if he was just making it up on the spot, but you nodded anyway. “Is it alright if I wear my sweatshirt?”

“Of course, dear! I'll even make you one with your own name tag and the color that all of the employees wear!”

Deciding to go for it before you brain could be reasonable and make you over think the whole situation, you held out a hand. “Then I'd love to try it at least.”

Mettaton gripped the offered hand in both of his, enthusiasm and excitement rolling off of his soul in waves. “Wonderful, dear! I shall let Florin know. Would you be able to start tomorrow?”

Was that even legal? Didn't you have to fill out paperwork or something? “Uh, yeah, I guess...?”

“How lovely! I'll Florin on my way to Alphys'! Oh, and why don't we have the party a month from now? I have a tour-”

Tour?

“to go on starting tomorrow, and I'd like to be here to celebrate your coming of age!”

“Oh, um, okay...?”

Mettaton shook your hand heartily before suddenly releasing it and taking off toward the door. “I'm going to run off before Grillby hears what's happened and tries to kill me! Have a good day, dear! I'm sure Grillby can show you to the store! It is called _La Roseus MTT_!”

He called his store 'The Pink Mettaton'? What the hell?

“Goodbye, dear!”

And, just like that, Mettaton was gone. He had certainly come in like a whirlwind, leaving you to try to gather your thoughts. One thing had jumped to another before you could really consider anything, and you decided that he must be a rather excitable guy by nature.

With not much left to do, you felt around for your oatmeal to finish the breakfast Grillby had prepared for you. Said man returned from his garden as you were rinsing out the bowl.

“Where did Mettaton go?” he asked, the surprise so clear in his voice that you didn't even need to check his soul.

“I'm not exactly sure, but his soul is far gone now.”

There was a short pause, the hesitance in the man's soul almost overwhelming. “Did it... go well?”

“I have a, uh, job now.”

“What?!”

The edges of your lips quirked up. If the protectiveness flaring in your father's soul were any indication, Mettaton had been right about the fire man killing him for giving you a job.

“I thought it would be a good idea for me. Besides, it's only for four hours a day and I get Sunday's off. It's a desk job at one of his chain stores.”

“That is... better than I had imagined,” the man admitted a bit begrudgingly.

Decided that you didn't want to know exactly what your father had imagined, you added, “he's also planning some sort of a party for me.”

“A... party? Did he say why?”

You shrugged, placing the bowl to the side for your father to wash later – you couldn't see the spots, so he had insisted – and grabbed the spoon you'd used. “Something about how I needed a coming of age celebration.”

“You did not have one?” he asked, confusion clear in his crackling voice.

“No? He made it sound like it was some sort of a big deal for monsters.”

Your father sidled up beside you, the clinking you heard meaning that he was putting some of the other dishes away. “It is one of the largest celebrations for monsters. The only larger one is for marriages. When a monster comes of age, they gain the ability to use their magic. It may not be as big for humans, but it is when you become adults, yes?”

“That's about it, actually. For some reason or another, most humans put more stock in the _sixteenth_ birthday. It's like becoming an adult on the eighteenth isn't as important. I don't know why.” You shrugged, setting the spoon to the side and wiping your hands off on your sweatshirt. “Legally speaking, the eighteenth is the most important because you're viewed as an adult on that day.”

“So... it is a coming of age celebration, then.”

“I guess, yeah.”

A familiar hand moved to rest on your head, the warmth seeping through the hood of your sweatshirt. “Then I most definitely look forward to celebrating your coming of age ceremony with you, then, child.”

You smiled up at him for a moment before something occurred to you. “Hey, dad?”

“Yes, child?”

“If you refuse to touch water, how do you do the dishes?”

“Gloves,” the man replied, the familiar, crackling laughter escaping him. “Now go get dressed for the day. We're out of ketchup.”

“We just bought some yesterday!”

“Sans came over for dinner.”

 

*****

 

At one point during your shopping excursion, Grillby asked you to stay beside the apples while he went to grab something to two of you had accidentally passed by. He left you in charge of the cart, and you were vaguely aware of the fact at least half of the things in it were ketchup.

But he'd left you behind.

In the fucking fruit aisle of all things.

With nothing better to do, you turned your attention to the fruit and shut off your Soul Sight so that the curious souls around you wouldn't bother you anymore.

How was it that things that were so simple before the accident were now impossible? You weren't some sort of apple conniseur that could tell exactly what kind it was by touch alone. No, if you wanted to make sure that the apple you got was Golden Delicious, you'd need _help_. You would need _help_ just to decide which fucking apple you wanted. Want a Gala instead of a Spartan? Sorry, can't help ya.

You lifted both hands to your head, harshly scratching at your scalp. Why was this so damned important to you? Ever since the event had happened, you had done your best to be indifferent. It was easier that way. If you ignored the root of most of your new problems – the blindness – then it was easier. But it was times like these, where you were left in an unfamiliar grocery store in front of the god damned apples, that it really started to bug you.

Of all of the humans that had to travel through the monster district, why had _you_ been the one to be attacked? Of all of the possible outcomes of that fucking battle, why had _you_ been blinded? You really hoped that good luck and bad luck or karma or whatever the hell it was would finally start looking upon you favorably.

But, that was just you ignoring the problem again, really. In reality, you just didn't want to admit that the blindness bothered you. ARP was really helpful, except in public, but that didn't mean he was a cure all. You still couldn't _see_. What did any of this matter if the doctor said you would _never_ regain even a little of your sight?

There had to be some cure for a partially melted eyeball, right? There had to be some way to see again!

There was no way that this was it!

“Child? What is wrong? Why are you crying?”

You started in surprise, the Soul Sight reactivating as some sort of defense mechanism. The front of your bandages were stained pretty badly, and it only worsened your mood.

“I dunno. I guess that apples make me emotional sometimes.”

There was a distinct silence following your words, accentuated by the hesitation in Grillby's soul.

“The apples are on the other side of the aisle. You are looking at the mangoes.”

Of fucking course you were.

 


	5. Work Followed by More Work

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hell Week is here. All of my college assignments are due...
> 
> Someone kill me...
> 
> While I wallow in my own self-pity and despair, please enjoy this next chapter.

You awoke the next morning as usual, with ARP informing you that your alarm wouldn't go off for another while and asking if he should turn it off. The answer, as always, was a resounding 'yes' as you forced yourself from the warmth of the blankets.

Your mornings had become something of a routine. An annoying, 'why must I be like this' routine. The first thing that happened was you telling ARP to shut up since his voice was actually pretty grating right when you woke up. Next was stumbling around the room and trying to figure out what clothes were which. In the end, you would always have to use ARP.

But hell... at least you gave it a good try, right?

Feeling that thought start to sour your mood some, you scrambled over to the dresser. On the way, you tripped over a discarded sweatshirt from the day before. The slam into the floor jarred you more than you had initially expected, probably because you couldn't see it coming.

“Shall I call Grillby?” ARP spoke up, the AI sounding a bit concerned.

Why did Alphys create an AI exactly? Was it shackled?

“If he heard the slam, he'll come,” you grumbled back, managed to get back to your feet. “Otherwise, I'd like to keep him from worrying even more.”

“As you wish.”

Making sure to say every single curse word you could recall, you set about getting your clothes for the day. A quick shower later and you were heading downstairs to get some of that deliciously smelling breakfast.

“Mornin', dad,” you called, sliding into your usual seat. “Did you sleep so well?”

“Very well,” he replied, setting a plate before you. “Though I got up earlier than I had originally intended.”

“Oh?” you hummed back, grabbing a fork and starting on your breakfast. “Is something wrong?”

“I was... worried,” the man admitted. “Though I have packed and repacked your bag several times. This time, I am sure that everything is in its proper place and that your lunch will stay cold.”

You raised an eyebrow, trying to hide your growing grin behind a hand. “Well, thanks. I thought I'd just bring a snack bar or something.”

“There was also a package in the mail this morning. It appears to be a new sweatshirt for you, courtesy of Mettaton. I am quite impressed, actually. The fabric is incredibly soft to the touch, and the color matches the other employees' shirts.”

Something soft bumped against your arm, and you took no time in switching sweatshirts. Your dad was right, actually. The article of clothing was more than luxurious, and you were starting to wonder what exactly Mettaton did with his life. There was a name tag attached already, the letters raised so that you could feel it was yours.

“I shall rinse off your plate quickly. You should get ready to go.”

 

*****

 

Grillby walked you all the way to work that morning, triple checking that you had remembered everything. He was quite the doting father, actually. The bag that he had packed for you included three extra sets of bandages just in case you got something on the ones that he had helped you to change before leaving. Each item in the lunch box he made was labeled in raised writing so that you could easily figure out what each thing was without having to taste it first.

As you walked in the front doors – automatic based on the noise they made as you approached – a dull, light blue soul approached. Patience, your brain wasted no time in informing you of, and the idea of that being this man's main trait helped you to relax a bit. Anyone that was naturally patient wouldn't give you a hard time, right?

“You must be the new employee,” a deep voice called out to the two of you. “My name is Florin, and I am your new manager. Please come with me. I will go through the basics with you, and Jamie will help you get the hang of things at the desk”

Grillby squeezed your shoulder, the familiar warmth seeping through the sweatshirt. “I'll be back to pick you up at two, my child. Have a good day.” His words were a bit stilted, the uneasy feeling that was combined with a hesitation to leave drifting from his soul giving you a good idea as to why.

“Don't worry, dad. I'll be fine.” You gave him a quick hug before following Florin further into the store – which was much larger than you had imagined – waving as you went.

Grillby's soul didn't actually leave the area until the door to Florin's office had closed behind you. Which was a bit strange since, considering the number of turns you had to take in order to get there, there was no way he had been able to see you.

For the most part, the training had been _incredibly_ boring. It was a half an hour of vague instructions on how to use their systems effectively and making sure you knew your user name – “Spitfire” as chosen by Mettaton – and password. It was the end of your meeting with the new boss that really threw you for a loop.

“The boss told me about how you have a few problems with monsters because of a past issue,” Florin said calmly, his soul still calm and not judging you at all. “I won't ask you for specifics, but please know that I respect any issues you may have regarding this situation. Jamie will be dealing with all of the in person customers, so you won't have to deal with any monsters.”

You cast your gaze in his direction, watching the light blue of his soul shine brightly as his patience increased. “T-thanks, I guess.” Man. This guy was probably the most patient person you'd ever met.

He stood from his seat, walking over to the door and opening it for you. “Let me bring you to your station. Jamie works nine to five, so she's been here for quite a while. She is a _huge_ monster activist, though, so be prepared for plenty of questions about your home life,” he explained, shutting and locking his office door before leading you off to what you assumed would be your new desk. “I'm fairly certain that she saw you walk in with your father.”

You nodded a bit thoughtfully, thinking about what this woman might be like. You hadn't really met many monster activists, but you had heard the news talk about the different rallies and marches that had been increasing in number.

Hell, you'd heard about the Domino Case – but then again there probably wasn't anyone who _hadn't_ – as they'd started calling it. Some nobody hospital worker had told a random reporter about a human who had been attacked and severely injured by a monster. Many in the media, plus the officers that had handled your case wanted you to press charges against the monster that had done this to you.

You were the entity that they had ended up calling 'Domino'. Ever since the accident, the number of rallies had increased exponentially. So had racism against monsters. Many were still waiting for what they had deemed the 'inevitable domino effect'. They suspected that this attack would lead to monsters losing their rights and being locked up in some stupid camp somewhere.

But you refused.

There was no way you were going to press charges, and for those reasons. Despite your brain making you flinch at nearly every monster soul, you knew that not all monsters were bad. If you had – or chose to, since the officers that had worked your case kindly reminded that there was still time – pressed charges, then _all_ of them would suffer. Plus, the entire world would know who you were and then _everyone_ would judge you for being blind.

That last reason seemed a lot less important that the previous ones, though it was hard to think about it any less.

“Hiya!” a cheerful voice yelled, the light of a bright green-blue soul – understanding, your brain told you – appearing before you.

If the slight annoyance and surprise in Florin's soul were any indication, he had actually been talking to you.

Whoops.

“H-hello?” you stuttered out, trying to focus on the people before you instead of your own thoughts.

“My name's Jamie!” she called, reaching forward and shaking one of your hands wildly. “I've got it from here, Manager Florin!”

It took nearly all of your strength to block out even a small portion of the intense excitement coming out from the girl.

“Please don't scare away the new employee, Jamie. They come highly recommended.”

“I won't!” the woman cheered, dragging you away from the manager and practically forcing you into a desk chair. “Welcome to your work space, new co worker a' mine! I'll be right here beside you, but the job is usually pretty chill.”

“Oh, uh, thanks...?” you mumbled, reaching forward and tracing your hands over the computer to find the headphone jack. It didn't take long, and you put the headset onto one ear so you could hear both Jamie and the program Alphys had apparently made for you.

“So...,” Jamie hummed, soul thrumming with excitement. “Who was that fire elemental that dropped you off? Is he gonna be picking you back up? Is he your boyfriend?!”

You raised both hands in surrender, trying to frown at the woman but failing. The happiness flowing off of her soul was infectious. “One question at a time, please, Jamie.”

“Who was that fire elemental?”

“His name is Grillby. He own a bar near here.”

A loud gasp escaped her. “So he owns Grillby's?! I've been meaning to go there!”

“You really should. His food is amazing.”

 _“Please enter your user name,”_ came a robotic voice from the computer.

“Is he your boyfriend?”

You set your hands carefully on the keyboard, using muscle memory to type in the user name. A part of you still couldn't believe that Mettaton had named you 'Spitfire'.

“Try dad,” you replied once that was finished.

_“Please enter your password.”_

“Whoa, really?! They like, just got up here!”

“I'm eighteen. It happened about a week ago, actually,” you replied, carefully typing in the password that Mettaton had also chosen. 'Solarflare'.

Did he have a thing for jokes or something?

The approach of another soul and the distinct disappointment from Jamie told you that a customer was here. She immediately started chatting with them, doing her best to solve whatever their problem was.

_“Good morning, human. My name is ARC, the Artificial Intelligence Robotic Computer. I was created as a brother program to your phone, ARP, the Artificial Intelligence Robotic Phone. It is my job to help you access this computer and the files needed for your job here. The computer is constantly clicked into a text box used to give me non-verbal orders. There is also a microphone attached to your headset that may be used for verbal orders. I was trained to help figure out what you mean if an order is unclear, but I will always ask for a confirmation before beginning or completing a task. Do you understand?”_

Feeling a bit nervous about the whole idea of an AI, you typed in an affirmative.

_“Thank you. Provided that you keep your headphones on, I will be able to inform you of anything that will require your attention. Currently, you have zero things to attend to. Before leaving today, please retrieve the flash drive connected to the computer. It allows me to easily access any computer you may need me for.”_

Raising an amused eyebrow, you typed out a thank you.

_“You are welcome. I will go silent until needed.”_

Smiling softly, you leaned back in your chair. You weren't quite sure how long ARC had been in the making – especially since he seemed just as intelligent as ARP – but he was quite the interesting piece of technology. A part of you wondered how Alphys had been able to create two fully functional AI's, but you were glad nonetheless. With ARC, you might actually be able to do this job.

“Anyway,” Jamie cut in, her soul moving closer to you once again. “Is your dad picking you back up?”

“Yeah. He said he'd be here right at two. Knowing him, he'll be here not a second later.”

“That's when you get off, right? Just a four hour shift, then?”

You nodded, turning to fully face the other human. “That's the idea, yeah. He's a _really_ good dad.”

Happiness and contentment pushed out of Jamie's soul, overwhelming the excitement. “Monsters are really cool people, huh? I love 'em.” Sudden concern flickered to life. “Well, I mean, some are. Just like some people aren't really cool.”

Florin must have mentioned that you were iffy around monsters, which was actually pretty nice of him. “Don't worry about it. Most of them do seem pretty cool.”

Relief came next. Whether or not she was showing it on the outside – not that you could tell, regardless – Jamie's soul was incredibly expressive. It was sort of nice to be able to read someone so well.

Another monster came up to the help desk as you were thinking, taking away Jamie's attention and starting the steady stream that constituted the lunch rush.

 

*****

 

Lunch went by pretty uneventfully considering that you ate right at your desk and only chatted with Jamie whenever she was free – which wasn't very often. You only got two phone calls the entire work day, and both were able to be handled without needing to go into the system.

Just before two, Jamie asked you to handle the desk for a minute because she had to help a disgruntled customer find something. Shortly after she left, a vaguely familiar monster soul approached the desk. You weren't sure where you remembered it from until a familiar suspicion started to roll off of it.

“hey there, kid.”

All of your muscles immediately tensed, and you slowly slipped your headset off before moving to Jamie's part of the desk. “Is there anything I can help you with, sir?”

“i'd actually _love_ to hear why you treated my bro and i like we were freaks before runnin' off.”

You flinched, noting the annoyance not only laced in with his words but also flooding from his soul. “It's nothing toward the two of you personally, I promise. Now, is there anything that I can help you with?”

“then, why'd you run off like that? aren't you grillby's kid? you certainly don't seem to mind monsters.”

“It was the word, okay?” you hissed out, clenching your hands into tight fists as you turned your gaze away. “I have bad memories from when someone called me that.”

The suspicion ebbed back a bit, the empty space filling with a strong guilt. “aw, shit. i'm sorry, kid. i didn't realize, okay?”

A flash of green-blue appeared beside you, soft hands gently pushing you toward your seat and giving you a kind pat on the head. “Hello there, sir! I'm sorry, my friend here is new, so they're still learning. Is there anything I can help you with?”

“no. i, uh, think i got everything. sorry.”

Once the white soul had ambled away, Jamie rushed right to your side. “Oh my gosh, are you all right?! I could practically see you pale from the other side of the store! I mean, I can't see you face, but I imagined how pale you must have been! I shouldn't have left you here. I'm really sorry!”

At the onslaught of questions you raised a hand in surrender, smiling softly at the girl. “It's okay, Jamie. Thanks for coming to my rescue. I really appreciate it.”

“Anytime!” she cheered, giving you a rather hard pat on the back of your shoulder. “Now get going. It's two and I'm sure your dad will be showin' up soon.”

A familiar soul with a green spark appeared near where you figured the entrance was, as if realizing that Jamie was talking about him. Within moments, he was striding over to the desk to go and see you.

“Hello, child,” he hummed, the concern noticeable in his voice and his attempts to hide it is his soul were completely and utterly futile. “How was work today?”

“Really good, actually,” you answered, grabbing your bad and easily sliding it over your shoulder. You hesitated a moment before grabbing the flash drive from the computer and slipping it into one of your pockets. “I had a lot of fun.”

Relief flowed directly from your father's soul to yours. “I'm glad. Are you ready to head home?”

“Definitely! I'm really looking forward to opening the bar tonight.”

A soft hum escaped the man's throat as he took your elbow, leading you toward the exit. “Would it be possible for you to run the bar with Nika around seven tonight and tomorrow night?”

You vaguely recalled trying to memorize that particular monster's soul. From what Grillby had told you, Nika was a nice rabbit monster who was the daughter of an innkeeper. She worked some nights, chatting with you occasionally when Grillby was busy and she had a moment. It also happened to be that she was the one your father had hired since you couldn't take the job.

“Why do you need me to run the bar?” you finally asked, tossing thoughts about Nika out of your mind.

A sliver of guilt sparkled in the man's soul. “I... have some appointments, but don't want to leave Nika in charge of the register. She is too new for me to trust her with that.”

“Dad?”

“Yes?”

“I'm blind,” you deadpanned, stopping to stare up at him with a single eyebrow raised. “I can't see what money they're handing me, ya know?”

“ARP could help you,” the man responded, some amusement seeping through the earlier guilt.

A chuckle escaped you as you started walking again. “All right, all right. I can watch the bar for an hour or two if you really need me to. If you teach me where all the bottles are kept, I can mix drinks for you, too.”

“I'll set aside a few bottles for some drinks I can teach you to make.”

 

*****

 

The bar was, as usual, pretty full by the time Grillby had to leave. His soul radiated nothing but guilt and apprehension the entire time, and he offered to reschedule the appointment several times. Eventually, you had to push him out the door.

“His is _such_ a worrywart,” Nika giggled as she hopped by on her way to a table.

“Tell me about it,” you muttered, adjusting the headset that was now connected to ARP, making sure the attached camera was facing the right direction. You had finally gotten your father to admit that ARP was an experimental program created to experiment with living programs. Apparently, the idea was to see if creating a pseudo-living creature could develop a full consciousness followed by creating an artificial soul.

The whole idea went far above your head, but it was interesting to think that Alphys was using you to effectively teach her AI's how to feel.

“I'm here to pay my receipt,” a deep voice mumbled, launching you from your thoughts as some money was slapped onto the counter.

 _“According to the receipt, the total is thirty-five dollars and thirteen cents,”_ ARP started, continuing to rattle off random information about the exact change he'd given you and how much to give back.

It had taken quite awhile to get used to, but ARP was actually a pretty good guy. He was really helpful, too, despite the fact that you already knew most of the cash register layout. ARP actually seemed a bit impressed by your prior knowledge, which was thanks to the work you had done with the orphanage.

About an hour into your taking care of the bar, a rather powerful looking soul came in. Its dark gray color felt a bit stifling, and you immediately wished that Nika wasn't currently on her break. ARP issued out a quick warning, letting you know that he could call the police with only a simple command. As grateful as you were, you didn't want the night to end with seeing more officers.

You'd dealt with them enough in the hospital.

The owner of the soul came closer until they took a seat in the stool opposite you at the bar. “Hey, hot stuff,” they hummed, the emotions from their soul melding together. While you weren't _exactly_ sure what that meant, the liquor on their breath suggested that it probably had something to do with being drunk as all hell. “Mind givin' me one a' them monster drinks?”

“Which one?” you ground out, leaning away from the awful smell of their breath.

They just leaned forward, as if chasing you. “Whichever is the cheapest, baby face.”

_“I am still prepared to call the police, if you require it.”_

You nodded lightly, carefully tracing over the bottles until you found the whiskey and a very small bottle of a freezing cold substance. A single drop of that particular liquid was more potent that a shot glass full of scotch, and it was mixed with quite a bit of monster magic. With expert precision, you poured the right amount of both into a shot glass and slid it toward the customer.

“Five dollars,” you hummed.

A slam sounded throughout the bar as the monster put his money the on the counter. You could feel a vague sense of worry and uneasiness from some of the other patrons, and it was worse in the regulars that knew you were Grillby's kid.

“That's ten,” the monster slurred out, words getting harder to understand. “Gimme another after this.”

You simply nodded, moving off to help a table that had called you over. As you got them some more coffee, the monster from the bar shouted out to you, _demanding_ that you get him more to drink.

With a bit of hesitation, you poured him another shot. From what you had learned from sitting at the bar and munching on fries every night, your father tended to stop serving people after they got too drunk, and you knew he probably wouldn't have served the monster in front of you in the first place. It was an error on your part. Granted, what they were drinking had a relatively low _monster_ alcohol content.

“Hey,” they snarled, forcing your attention back to the monster as they slammed something else onto the counter. “Gimme another.”

You slid the bill back in their direction. “Sorry, but I'm going to have to cut you off. Should I call a cab? Or is there anyone else you want me to call to come get you?” you asked, taking the payment from before and setting it to the side.

_“Human!”_

Before you could even think to react to the yell and sudden malicious intent, the monster had launched themselves over the bar, grabbed the collar of your sweatshirt, and lifted you off the ground. A squeak of terror escaped you as they moved their face closer to yours. Each word was punctuated by the alcohol-laced breath, making the bile rise in your throat.

_“This is an incredibly dangerous situation. Please allow me to alert the authorities. If you are afraid of speaking, please nod.”_

You ignored ARP, though not exactly of your own volition. Memories of being attacked had begun speeding through your brain at a rapid pace.

“Listen here, asshole. This is a _fucking bar_ , got that? If I want my fucking drink, then you'll give me my _fucking_ drink!”

Your breaths started to come out in short pants, and a part of you recognized the beginnings of hyper-ventilation. It took all you had to even keep your Soul Sight working.

“Are you fucking listening, asshole?!”

Just as quick as it had happened, the monster's hands were pried from your sweatshirt. A soul you recognized as one of the daily regulars led them outside the bar. A thin, white string connected them to another soul that had moved around the bar to kneel beside you and try to give some form of comfort. You flinched away from the impending touch, but the monster simply moved back a bit, seeming to understand what you were going through more than you did.

“Are you okay, sweetie?” the soft voice asked, her high tones interlaced with worry.

You shook you head. In all honesty, what you wanted was for your father to come through the door and hug you. His warmth had been calming ever since you met him, and that was what you most craved.

The other soul returned, leaning over the bar. “Is everything all right, Dogaressa?”

“I think they will be, Dogamy. What about the one who did this?”

“I handcuffed 'em to the car. I'll give Undyne a call and have her pick 'em up. Deal with it myself. There's enough witnesses here that the kid won't need to deal with any of it, I'm sure. Undyne would understand.”

The idea of never having to see that creature's soul again filled you with a strong warmth, and you latched onto the determination that came with it. A bit shakily, you managed to get to your feet. The soul you now recognized as Dogaressa hovered nearby, ready to give a hand if you needed it but not forcing her help on you.

“Thank you for the help,” you managed, voice sounding way too small to pass as feeling all right.

A spark of green sprouted from Dogaressa's soul, surprising you at its brightness. “Don't worry about it, sweetie. We're police officers even when we're not wearing the uniform.”

They had uniforms?

“Dogamy and I will take care of everything out here and with Nika, okay? Grillby should be back soon, so go into the house and rest. Sit down and let your brain go through it. You're in shock.”

You nodded a bit sluggishly, heading through the door into the kitchen and asking Nika to come back in as you did so. She seemed a bit confused by your demeanor, but did as you asked regardless.

With everything sort of settled downstairs, you collapsed onto your bed and let everything sink in. Within moments, tears were streaming from your eyes and staining the bandages. Would it have been different if you could see? With sight, would you have been able to dodge that attack? Maybe, you would have been able to ask for help because you would have _known_ that Dogamy and Dogaressa were apparently cops.

Could the problem for you and everyone else really be that you were blind? Was your blindness really going to cause so much trouble for others?

_“I am loading up your favorite instrumental music. Please let me know if you need anything more.”_

 


	6. Healing Takes Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a twitter for my writing! I have the same name as the handle "PrincessCipher", with Cipher being the name. You can use that account to ask me any questions and get updates on any projects I'm working on, including this one! The picture is a unicorn.
> 
> I'm a unicorn. No questions.
> 
> Anyway, feel free to check me out on Twitter and enjoy this chapter!

You weren't exactly sure when you'd stopped crying, but you knew that Grillby hadn't come back from his appointment yet. A part of you consistently monitored the souls downstairs to make sure that none of them had the bright idea to try and steal from the register or something now that you weren't there to stop them.

A beep from ARP turned your attention to the phone, which was now unplugged from the headset and resting on the pillow beside your own. “You have received a message from Grillby. Shall I read it?”

“Please do.”

“ _'Child, I am on my way home. It shall be a few more minutes, but I picked up a surprise for you. Thank you for watching the bar.'_ ”

You just grumbled in annoyance. Why did he have to thank you for something that you didn't even do properly?

“Is there anything I can do?”

“That's the fifth time you've asked that, ARP. Are _you_ all right?”

“It is not my health that you should be worrying about. Besides, I am an AI. I have no emotions.”

You shrugged, letting the music wash over you. “You're worrying like a mother hen, dude. That's an emotion.”

The phone became silent after that, and you reveled in the fact that the only noises you could hear were sounds of the music drifting through his high quality speakers. While you were trying to push the situation out of your mind and focus on other things, Grillby's soul entered the building from, based on its location, the door to the bar. It was _really_ easy to focus on his emotions, and you assumed it had something to do with your connection, but it was interesting to see the changes that went with it.

The first thing to branch out from his soul was an intense feeling of confusion, likely based on the fact that you weren't anywhere to be seen and Dogaressa was behind the counter at the register. After a few moments – where you assumed he was being explained the situation – anger blossomed from his soul. It was followed by hesitance, as if something had occurred to him in the midst of his anger.

Several seconds later, the door to your bedroom flew open and Grillby had you wrapped up in his arms. He rocked you back and forth muttering, “thank goodness,” over and over again in broken crackles. As if the dam that had been holding all of your emotions back burst, the tears came again. In your father's warm embrace, you cried for second time that night.

For maybe the twentieth time since the accident.

And for the first time with someone else.

 

*****

 

A loud beeping cut through your mind, the noise harsh and unforgiving. “ARP, snooze.”

“You have asked me to pause the alarm four times already. I must insist that you get up.”

“ARP, snooze.”

“I must insist.”

Groaning loudly, you slid out of bed and shuffled from the room, almost forgetting ARP as you went. In all honesty, you just wanted to stay underneath the covers all day.

“You are wearing the same clothes as last night.”

Every part of your head throbbed from dehydration, something you hadn't even bothered to consider while crying so much the night prior. Honestly, every part of you hated crying. It made you feel _weak_. Nearly every time the tears had flown when you were at the orphanage, someone was there to tell you to suck it up and deal with it. And now you were an adult.

“You are ignoring me, aren't you?”

Grillby was in the kitchen when you reached the bottom of the stairs, something you were barely aware of as you wallowed in your own self-pity. The clink of a glass and a plate in front of you pulled you from your stupor some.

“Water,” he hummed.

Giving a small nod, you felt around for the glass so you could take a drink. The smell of food wafted up from the plate before you, but the idea of it only made you nauseous.

You wanted your sight back. What if the _view_ of food would make you hungry? Well, you'd never know again, would you? It was impossible.

Grillby sat across from you, his soul displaying clear reluctance. “I have moved my next appointment to three nights from today.”

“What?” you mumbled, gaze shooting over to him. “Why would you do that?” While you had honestly been dreading having to work the bar again without your dad there, you certainly didn't want to be a burden. He had placed his trust in you!

“I am not letting you work the bar alone again,” he grumbled. “I have put out an offer to a few friends of mine for part time help. They will work here from six to ten, if they agree.”

“I can handle it, dad! You don't need to get extra help!”

Your father stood from his seat, stubbornness shining brightly in his soul. “No. I did the same when Fuku was a child, and I should have considered the situation more,” he growled, the crackling seeming almost violent. “I will _not_ risk you getting hurt while I am not here to protect you.” He moved to where you knew the sink was, the clinking indicating he had already eaten – which wasn't surprising considering that you had gotten up a lot later than usual. “You manager called earlier this morning. He heard what happened and asked that you take the day off.”

“What?!” You stood quickly, the stool slamming against the ground as you did so. “But that's my _job_! And I've only worked for one day!”

“Mettaton heard from him about the incident. They are both adamant that you recover.”

Another groan escaped as you turned on your heel and stalked out of the room, making sure to stomp on each stair you passed. Grillby's soul faded away as you shut it out. No part of you wanted to think about what he felt about the situation. You knew it would likely be nothing but guilt, anyway. He had no right to feel guilty. It was your own damn fault!

…

The first attack was, too.

 

*****

 

Your father had stopped by your room quite a few times, calling out to you and asking if you wanted to go anywhere with him. When you actually gave a response – 'no' every time – he would ask if you wanted anything while he was out.

You would also say no to that.

As you stewed quietly in your room listening to music you'd had ARP pirate online, you came to a few conclusions. The first, and the one that made you feel the guiltiest, was that you were being pretty unreasonable. Grillby didn't have anything to do with why you were angry with yourself. It wasn't right to take all of your inner anger out on him. Another conclusion you reached was that you needed to learn how to defend yourself, but wasn't quite sure who to ask. Dogamy and Dogaressa seemed to know some non-magical attacks, so that might help. Regardless, this was _twice_ now that you'd been attacked, and you didn't doubt that it would happen again.

The third, and final, realization was that you were a worthless waste of space.

You still didn't know what had made Grillby so intent on adopting you. Why was he so into the idea? Despite what he'd had said, there must have been some aspect of guilt or pity there! The attack _had_ happened right outside his bar on your way to an interview with him.

But you were only putting more pressure on him with every passing day. All you did was cause more and more problems. Technically speaking, you still had the apartment provided to you by the government since you had been released from an orphanage. Maybe you should just go back. At least there no one would have to worry about you.

You wouldn't be able to cause problems for anyone.

There was a soft knock on the door before Grillby came in. You hadn't even noticed his soul approach this time, which was weird since it was so bright and had such a presence. A soft sigh escaped him, likely at noticing the untouched lunch plate from earlier, before he picked it up and replaced it with what you expected was dinner – his famous burger and fries based on the scent.

“Dogaressa asked about you when she got here,” he hummed, voice crackling with an emotion you didn't bother to look for. When he got no response, Grillby left the room and shut the door behind him.

“You should eat,” ARP cut in. A strange noise escaped the speakers when he got no response, and it took you a moment to realize that he'd _sighed_.

How the hell did Alphys create an AI again?

The warm smell of Grillby's dish entered your nostrils, distracting you from ignoring ARP as you turned around to ignore the smell. Instead, you focused on the strange nagging feeling in the back of your mind that was making it hard to fall back to sleep. After a few minutes of contemplation, your dragged yourself out of bed. No wonder you'd been feeling like shit lately.

You hadn't taken your medications since you were hospitalized.

Grabbing ARP, you made your way to the only box of stuff you'd brought from your apartment – your only stuff, actually. It didn't take long at all to find the small bag that rattled as you lifted it. With an almost sluggish care, you lifted out each bottle and set them on the ground in front of you.

“ARP?”

“Yes? Please tell me what you require.”

“Can you tell me what each bottle says?”

“Of course! From left to right, they read: Citalopram, Busiprone, and Temazepam.”

You nodded, carefully lifting up each bottle in turn and pouring the number of pulls you needed for each. It would be awhile before any of them started taking their full effects, but it would definitely help. Your old psychiatrist had once told you that even knowing they were in your system was helpful.

Maybe you would start to feel good again.

 

*****

 

You spent most of the next day in your room as well, though Grillby seemed more than a little relieved that you finally started to eat again around dinnertime the next day. While you certainly hadn't brought up any of the issues that had plagued your mind the days before – while you knew it wasn't healthy, you didn't plan on it either – you began to feel a bit better.

ARP was happy to inform you that part of that was due to the fact you'd finally eaten.

By the time the day of Grillby's appointment had rolled around, you finally left your room.

“Good morning, dad,” you hummed, already starting to feel happier.

Surprise immediately radiated from the monster's soul as moved over to you, clearly not expecting to see you that morning. “Good morning, my child. How are you feeling?”

“Better,” you replied, giving him a quick hug before slipping into your usual seat. “Sorry about the last couple days, I, uh....”

A large hand rubbed the top of your head as comfortingly as possible, familiar warmth seeping from it. “Do not worry about that, child. Everyone has their off days.” He paused, hesitation sparkling in his soul. “Are you still okay to watch the bar tonight? I am sure that the new employees can handle it, but....”

Part of you knew he was offering it just because he knew you felt bad about that night. “I can do it, dad.” You smiled up at him, trying to reassure him the best you could. “Besides, I won't have to deal with anything since these part-timers will be there, right?”

“Of course,” Grillby hummed, relief flooding from his soul. “Now, what would you like for breakfast?”

“I'm up later than usual, and I don't want to mess up your schedule, so whatever's easiest to make.”

Vague annoyance radiated from his soul. “Do not tell me to make you something like that. What do _you_ actually _want_?”

You frowned lightly, turning your head away from him. “Could I have some pancakes?”

“Of course, my child.”

 

*****

 

Grillby rushed around the bar below, likely getting ready for the night. From your room, you could feel his levels of apprehension and concern rising as the night got later. A lot of familiar souls were sitting or moving about the bar as well.

You had been nervously awaiting the time to go down, continually changing which sweatshirt you were wearing. It was ARP that eventually picked for you, stating that you looked best in the deep red one that matched Grillby's flames and, to some extent, the mood of the bar.

As you were adjusting the headset, ARP called out, _“it is now the time you must go downstairs.”_

“Thanks, ARP,” you mumbled, taking a deep breath as you made sure sure the hood was pulled all of the way over your head and heading down.

Grillby greeted you when you moved through the door, sounding more nervous than usual as he said, “Good evening, my child. How are you feeling? I can still-.”

“I've got this dad,” you cut in, smiling brightly up at him and adjusting ARP's headset. “Just focus on safely getting to your meeting and back, alright?”

“Okay, okay,” Grillby hummed back, giving you a large, warm hug. “Be careful, child. Sans and Papyrus will take care of you. Please tell them if anything happens.”

Uneasiness blossomed from your soul. Shit. Why hadn't you asked who his new part-timers were? What if Sans still thought you hated monsters?

_“ARC informed me of the monster known as Sans harassing you at work. If anything happens, I will not hesitate to record it and send it to Grillby.”_

Trying to hide a smile at ARP's words, you said, “Okay, dad. I'll stay behind the counter and call for either of them if I need anything.” Moving behind the counter, you shifted a bit nervously and took another deep breath.

“Call me if you need anything, child. And do not forget, Dogamy and Dogaressa are here, too!”

“Hello, sweetie!” a familiar voice called.

“We're here, 'kay?” the connected soul added.

You waved happily at the man as he left, feeling some of his apprehension fade at your smile. Just after waving at the two officers, you could feel Sans and Papyrus enter the bar. The latter immediately bounded up to the counter, his soul radiating happiness. The former followed at a rather lazy pace, vague suspicion and uneasiness still in place.

“HELLO, LARGER HUMAN!”

 _Larger_ human? Did he only know two or something?

“DO NOT WORRY ABOUT ANYTHING! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL KEEP YOU SAFE NO MATTER HAPPENS! GRILLBY HAS INTRUSTED OUR CARE TO US, SO WE WILL NOT FAIL YOU!”

“be careful, bro,” Sans cut in, his tone of voice suggesting amusement. “if you don't quiet down, you might _rattle some bones_.”

While Papyrus screamed at the top of his lungs and several patrons laughed, you wondered why Sans had made the extra effort to over enunciate some of his words. Was there some sort of hidden joke in there?

“c'mon, bro. didn't that tickle your _funny bone_?”

The laughter and screaming increased, only confusing you more.

“SANS, STOP!”

“ _tibia_ honest, you know you found some of those puns _humerus._ you're smiling.”

Puns? Were you missing something?

_“These two are pretty funny.”_

Even ARP was getting it?!

“I AM AND I HATE IT.” Papyrus turning his attention back to you snapped you from your confused thoughts. “LARGER HUMAN, I WILL BE IN THE BACK MAKING SOME BASIC DISHES IF YOU NEED MY ASSISTANCE.”

Of course you were being left with Sans. “Thanks, Papyrus,” you managed, smiling softly at the oddly loud monster.

Seeming pleased with your reaction, Papyrus practically skipped into the kitchen, leaving you with Sans. Some part of you was a bit nervous about being near the monster since you hadn't talked to him since seeing him at work, but the concern was lessened somewhat knowing that Dogamy and Dogaressa were nearby.

“hey there, kid,” he hummed, moving to sit on one of the stools.

“Shouldn't you be working? Isn't my dad paying you?”

“i'll get up if someone needs me. Besides, grillbs is putting all of my earnings toward payin' my tab,” came the noncommittal reply.

Wow. Grillby could really pick 'em, couldn't he?

_“I can inform Grillby of this later.”_

“so, you seemed more comfortable around paps this time.”

You frowned in his direction, sighing softly. “Are you just now realizing that I don't actually have anything against you or Papyrus?”

The suspicion from before turned to absolute confusion. “then why do you act like we're murderers or something?”

Another sigh escaped you as you leaned forward, laying your arms against the counter. “Bad experiences, okay?” you grumbled, trying to make it clear that you _really_ didn't want to go into details.

“oh.”

The resulting pity blossoming from his soul made you grind your teeth together. “Could you dial the pity back a bit, please? It's not that bad. I just get _really_ uncomfortable _really_ easy, got it?”

Surprise took over the pity. You guessed that he had been about to say something before one of the monsters from Dogamy and Dogaressa's table called him over. He left a bit hesitantly, clearly wanting to talk to you more. Once he was gone, you took a deep breath. Thinking about why being around monsters was difficult really wasn't good for your mental health.

For the most part, you only relived the event when you were getting ready for bed. Being 'Domino' only meant that you were a prevalent, yet unknown, entity in society. Quite a few news outlets were still pursuing the Domino Case, making it hard to ever truly forget about the incident. Besides, the monster that had attacked you was still out there.

An image of his profile blocking your escape flashed across your eyes. Very few sights ever actually entered your vision now, but the monster that had attacked you was a common one. If you had any drawing skill, you'd have done your best to draw him.

Well, it didn't matter anyway. Pressing charges would only end up worsening the situation monsters were already in.

Mettaton was a really nice guy. Papyrus seemed like a sweet little cinnamon roll. Sans was a bit of an ass, but it seemed like he just genuinely cared for his brother. Even Dogamy and Dogaressa were great monsters.

And then, of course, there was Grillby. With no real reason, he'd taken you in and adopted you. Sure, you knew that his birth daughter, Fuku, wasn't around anymore, but that didn't necessarily mean that he should get another kid. Even if how the whole situation happened was a bit strange, you really liked Grillby. He was an amazing dad.

“penny for your thoughts?”

You were launched from your thoughts rather abruptly, a bit annoyed that ARP hadn't told you that there was someone in front of you. “Just thinking. A lot's happened in the last two weeks.”

“oh, yeah. grillbs just adopted you, right?”

Sliding onto the stool your father had set up behind the counter for you – knowing full well you weren't as used to standing for long periods of time – you rested your elbows on the counter. “Yeah. A little over two weeks ago, I just got out of the orphanage,” you hummed a bit dreamily, not noticing the surprise coming from Sans. “Never saw any of this coming.”

“you're an orphan, too?”

You raised an eyebrow, turning to him in surprise. “Uh, yeah. I didn't realize you were one.”

“guess you must have been pretty _bonely_.”

Was that another one of his inside jokes? You just stared at him, raising an eyebrow.

“not one for puns, huh? Most monsters find 'em pretty _humerus_.”

_“This guy is a riot.”_

There they went again. “Anyway...,” you grumbled, setting your chin in your hands, “any reason you got this job? I figured that you two already had jobs.”

“i work a few different odd jobs,” Sans admitted, seeming much more relaxed now you were openly chatting with him. “paps was having trouble finding a job, so he was pretty happy when grillbs mentioned he was looking for help.”

You raised an eyebrow vaguely surprised. “He seems so full of energy. Why can't he get hired anywhere?”

Darkness suddenly radiated from Sans' soul, making your head swim. “no one wanted to hire a monster.”

You reached across the table, placing a hand on what you assumed to be his arm. Jeez, his arm was thin. He should really eat more. “I'm sorry. Humans are asses.”

The dark was quickly replaced by amusement and a bit of embarrassment. “says the human.”

“What can I say? I do occasionally like to partake in the assery.”

This finally got an honest laugh from the monster, his soul practically sparkling with happiness. He took a minute to gather his breath before heading off to go help another customer.

 

*****

 

It wasn't long after your moment with Sans that the bar hit its peak hour. He didn't get much a chance to relax between keeping an eye on you – if the sliver of protectiveness in his soul was any indication – and serving customers, and you spent a lot of time working the register and mixing drinks.

Papyrus occasionally came out to bring the dishes he'd prepared for customers, always checking with you to make sure that everything was okay.

As the rush time started to cool down, you called to Sans that you needed a breath of fresh air. He told you that he'd handle everything while you were gone, which surprised you since you'd picked him as one of the laziest creatures you had met.

Stepping out the side door that let out from the kitchen, you took a deep breath. The bar had quickly become a place of comfort for you, which seemed incredibly strange since it was full of monster souls. The small string between Dogamy and Dogaressa reminded you that they were more than capable of love and kindness. How their souls were so connected was beyond you, but it made you smile nonetheless.

_“You should go back inside.”_

A sudden wave of darkness shot your attention from the feeling of the moonlight glowing down on you to the approach of a monster soul. Your gaze shot to the creature, quickly trying to read its emotions. You were quickly overwhelmed with malice and an intent to kill.

“Hey there, _kiddo_.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SUFFER FROM THE CLIFFHANGER!!!  
> MHUAHAHA


	7. Them's Fightin' Words

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHO NEEDS SLEEP WHEN THERE'S WRITING TO BE DONE!?
> 
> I've hit the point in my writing where I get past the nervous as hell stage and hit the 'in the groove' stage. This probably means less editing and faster updates.
> 
> Probably.

“Hey there, kiddo.”

_“Go inside.”_

“Y-you...”

A sick sense of amusement flowed out of the almost black soul. “Glad you recognized me, _kiddo_. Can't imagine how, though, given that you must be blind as a bat. My goop's pretty acidic.”

_“Human, you must get inside. Please try to focus on my words instead of that monster.”_

“G-get away,” you stuttered out, backing up against the door and trying to open it.

Locked. Fuck.

“Sorry, kiddo. I don't really feel like leaving now. It took me a lot of waiting to get you alone,” he purred, voice sickly sweet as he approached.

_“I am calling the bar.”_

Feeling your breathing start to pick up to panic states, you decided to do your make or break choice.

“Sans!” you screamed, hearing the click of a phone being answered.

The monster before you chuckled, the noise dark and almost terrifying. “No one's gonna come to you aid, kiddo. It's punishment time.”

A flash of red spread throughout your vision, the pure determination surprising you. Within moments, an incredibly familiar soul was before you, magic coming off of its owner in waves.

Blue surrounded the other monster's soul, seeming to come from Sans. “hey there, _buddy_. you giving my friend a _bad_ _time_?”

“Ah!” the monster called as he was lifted into the air. “Put me down, you fucker!”

Sans only turned to you. “you okay, kid?”

You managed a small nod. “He didn't get near me. You got here before he could.”

“good.” Sans turned toward the door. “papy!”

The door flung open, launching you forward. The rather strange feeling of blue magic surrounded you, lifting you into the air before you could hit the ground. Within moments, you were in Papyrus' arms.

“BROTHER? WHO IS THAT? IT THE LARGER HUMAN OKAY?”

“they're fine, paps. this monster was _trying_ to hurt them.”

Concern flooded from Papyrus' soul. “ARE YOU SURE THAT YOU ARE OKAY, LARGER HUMAN?”

You managed a small nod, feeling that any attempt at talking would be futile.

“Just let me go, you asshole! That human's caused me enough problems!” the monster snarled out. “I need to finish what I started!”

Sans' soul suddenly displayed surprise, his attention turning to you. “you've come across him before?”

“Fuck yeah, they have!” the monster continued to snarl. “I already took away your sight, just let me finish the fucking job!”

Confusion spread out from both of the brothers as your chest constricted almost painfully.

“HUMAN? YOU SAID THAT YOU WERE FINE.”

“kid?”

Feeling that there was no other option for the time being, you shakily reached up and lowered the hood of your sweatshirt. Both brothers took in a sharp breath at the sight of your bandages that were, by this point, wet from your tears.

“He's hurt me before.”

It was Sans who realized the root of the problem. “that's why you're afraid of monsters.” Suddenly, all of his confusion degraded into anger and a determination that was filled with malice. “paps. bring the human inside. i'll call undyne and deal with _him_.”

“BROTHER...”

“ _paps_.”

Papyrus sighed softly. “PLEASE BE CAREFUL BROTHER,” he muttered as he brought you back through the door.

The last thing you heard before the door shut behind the two of you sent chills all of the way down to your bones.

“y o u ' r e g o n n a h a v e a b a d t i m e.”

 

*****

 

Papyrus hadn't managed to get a word out of you since he'd brought you inside, though you noticed that he took the time to pull your hood back up and make some food before going into the actual bar.

Your body was wracked with terror. Seeing souls was becoming more and more difficult as your breathing increased. Within minutes, a true panic attack was flowing through your whole body. Seeing that you wouldn't be able to stay on the stool long with your level of shaking, you slid off and curled up on the floor. Sobs wracked your whole body, combining with the beginnings of hyper-ventilation.

It took a moment for you to realize that warm, fluffy arms had wrapped you into their embrace, a familiar voice speaking into your ears.

“Listen to my voice, sweetie. It's going to be okay. Sans is going to handle everything and Dogamy is calling you papa now, okay?” she hummed, going on to repeat her words several times as a sort of mantra.

“DO NOT WORRY, LARGER HUMAN,” Papyrus yelled out, seeming to not notice how loud he was being. “WE HAVE EMPTIED THE BAR, AND, WHILE HE IS INCREDIBLY LAZY, SANS WILL TAKE CARE OF THAT MEANIE.”

Hearing that last word – and, more specifically, a grown man using that word – sent a snort through you, breaking your panic somewhat.

“THAT'S RIGHT, LARGER HUMAN! BE HAPPY!”

A slam sounded throughout the whole room, silencing all noises aside from your heavy breathing. Within seconds, familiar, warm arms lifted you into the air and into a familiar embrace. Grillby hummed softly, the song he was weaving oddly calming when sung in his low, crackling tones.

That night, you fell asleep in your father's arms.

 

*****

 

You awoke with a bit of a start, your brain alerting you to the presence of a soul other than your father's in your room. Fear clenched at your chest before the owner of the voice seemed to wake up.

“whoa, whoa, kid! take a deep breath. it's me, sans, okay?”

It took another few moments, but you managed to calm yourself back down. “S-Sans...?”

“that's right, kid. i'm right here. we weren't gonna leave you alone after that.”

“What happened? Where's dad?”

“undyne came and took _him_ away,” the man explained. “grillbs is away. you've been asleep all night.”

You turned your gaze to the side. “ARP? What time is it?”

Confusion, followed quickly by surprise, flowed from Sans as your phone responded, “it is currently six thirty, an hour and a half before you usually wake up. I am... glad to see that you are all right.”

“cool thing ya got there.”

“Grillby said a friend of his made it for me,” you replied with a small smile.

Surprise quickly emanated from the monster. “grillbs talks to you?”

You nodded slowly, a bit confused. “Uh, yeah? Does he not talk to everyone?”

“usually uses sign language or writes things.”

“Well,” you mumbled, raising a hand to ghost over the bandages, “that probably wouldn't work with me.” Your gaze shot to him when you felt quilt start to sprout. “Don't you dare!”

“what?”

“You were starting to feel guilty! Don't step around my blindness, okay? I'm dealing with it.”

“how did you know i was feeling guilty? how do you even know where i am?”

“I, uh..., see souls...” The words came with a sigh.

Surprise and confusion spread forth. “you see my soul?”

“Yeah. It's a bright white. I'm guessing you have a lot of magic power.” You shrugged, feeling a bit embarrassed. “Wanna know something?”

“i guess. can't be much more surprising.”

“Monster souls aren't just white or gray,” you hummed, leaning back against the bed and trying to ignore the incredulous feeling coming from Sans. “You have a spark of red, and I get the feeling it means determination. Dad has a green spark for kindness. I'm not positive, but I think Papyrus has a dark blue one, though I'm not sure what that means. I haven't gotten a good enough look yet.”

“integrity,” came the quick response.

“You know what the colors mean?”

“human souls have colors based on what their main trait is. monster souls aren't supposed to have colors. are you sure you see them?”

“Positive. There was a huge flash of red when you, uh, _appeared_ last night, but your magic gave off a blue light.”

Sans hummed, surprise evident. “so you always know what we're feeling?”

“If I'm looking, yeah. Otherwise, I just feel vague emotions.”

“well, how are _you_ feeling?”

You pulled your knees up to your chest, not wanting to look at him anymore. “I want to curl up in a ball and die. There's no way to avoid any of this anymore. I was scared of him being out there, but I never wanted to actually run into him again.”

Sans got up from his spot, taking his time as he moved over to your bed. Upon reaching your side, he climbed up onto the bed and wrapped his arms around you, pulling your head beside his.

“go ahead and cry, kid. frisk taught me to do that sometimes. said it's good for ya.”

Sobs soon began wracking your body. After several minutes, you wrapped your arms around him and laid your head against his, cheek rubbing against his cold...

What the fuck?

The tears slowed as you leaned back a bit, raising your arms to move them over his face.

“kid?”

You were fairly certain that whatever you were feeling wasn't skin, but couldn't place what it was either. It appeared to be humanoid in nature, and lowering your hand had you touching what appeared to be teeth.

“uh..., kid...?”

You ignored him, lowering one of your hands to find his. Your fingers ghosted over his hand, helping you come to a very distinct conclusion.

“Holy shit.”

“kid?” Sans repeated, starting to sound really worried.

“You're a fucking skeleton.”

A moment of silence followed your words, followed by Sans' laughter filling the room. He doubled over, one skeletal hand reaching up to use your shoulder as a support. As he laughed, you came across another realization.

“Holy fuck. That's what those bone puns were about!” Laughter bubbled up from your chest, soon escaping you. “That's hilarious!”

“don't you mean, _humerus_?”

Both of you quickly became overwhelmed by your own laughter, the sound filling the room for several minutes. By the time you had both calmed down, you were laying beside each other on the bed, staring upward. While he was probably finding things in the ceiling, you marveled at the contentedness that was flowing from his soul.

It was nice to feel so honestly happy again.

“you seriously didn't know my bro and i were skeletons?”

You waved your arms in an annoyed manner, but couldn't get fight the edges of your lips as they quirked upward. “No! Nobody told me!” Feeling your curiosity overwhelm you a bit, you turned onto your side to face him. “Can I hold your hand again?”

Amusement tinged with embarrassment greeted your request, though Sans simply said, “sure, kid.”

Before you could even reach out to try and find a hand, one of his tapped yours. You smiled lightly at his calm helpfulness, especially since there was no trace of pity in his soul.

“Distal,” you hummed, continuing to mutter each bone after you traced over it, “middle, and proximal, right?”

“yeah.”

Ignoring his mounting embarrassment, you continued. “Those are the phalanges. And these just a bit lower are the metacarpals. That's where the palm would be.” You traced a bit lower, enraptured by the living skeleton beside you. “I don't know all of the carpals, but down here is the radius and ulna.” A small chuckle escaped you. “This is so fascinating to me, but what is it like for you?”

“huh?”

“Humans are effectively just like you but with flesh on top, right?”

“guess so,” Sans muttered in thought, seeming to have not considered it before. “need any rescuing from that flesh suit a' yours?” he asked, poking you in the side.

A giggle escaped before you could help it. “No thanks. I quite like the extra padding,” you replied, frowning afterword when you felt his particularly evil intent. “ _Sans_ , no.”

“sans, _yes_ ,” he replied, jumping closer and tickling you with everything you had.

Giggles and sharp barks of laughter soon escaped you at the relentless attack. Even though the enjoyment was being effectively forced, it had been a long time since you had felt so relaxed. You didn't know how Sans had done it, but you felt _happy_.

“I surrender!” you gasped out between laughs, sighing in relief when Sans finally laid back again.

“i totally won that battle,” he hummed in response, grin clear in his voice.

“Won? You decimated me,” you grumbled back, trying and failing to hide your grin as you laid beside him.

“had a lot of practice raising paps.”

You just nodded, sensing in his soul that he didn't really want to talk about it right now. It seemed that he was enjoying the moment, too.

“Hey, what are you doing here, anyway?”

“wow, rude.”

You snorted. “It is _not_ rude. I woke up to you in my room, ass.”

“not my fault the door was unlocked.”

“Ass,” you repeated, rolling your eyes. “ _Anyway_ , I was more curious as to why you stayed here all night. Don't you a Papyrus have your own house?”

“paps stayed in the guest room and I slept on the couch. he didn't want to go home without knowing you were okay first.”

“I knew it!” you called out, earning a confused hum from your companion. “He's a total cinnamon roll!”

A chuckle escaped Sans. “guess so. anyway, grillbs wanted to go over to the station since undyne went early and called 'im. he asked if i could watch ya while he was gone.”

“Oh, that makes sense. I hope he's not working himself,” you paused, turning to grin at your companion, “to the _bone_.”

A rather loud snort escaped Sans, followed by a loud laugh. “hey, he's not a skeleton!”

“Well, I'd hate for him to _burn_ out.”

“oh my god, kid,” Sans gasped out between laughs, rolling onto his side. “you're a riot.”

“Don't be so surprised. I might have all this flesh, but I have a _funny bone_ just like you.”

“that was awful.”

“Please. I'm guessing that good jokes just go _right through you_.” Your grin had been widening by the second, and Sans was starting to lose control of his laughter. “At least I wouldn't let any of these get _under my skin_. I bet you'd fight back if you _had the guts._ ”

“kid, please stop. i can't handle anymore,” he wheezed out, one hand reaching out to grip your sweatshirt sleeve.

“Hey, I've got a skele- _ton_ more. Besides, if I stop, you'd get _bonely._ ”

“hey, i used that one on you!”

“At least I have the _backbone_ to try and reuse a joke like that. _Tibia_ honest, I'm surprised you noticed. You seem like a bit of a _bonehead_.”

“no need to be so _marrow_ minded, kid.”

A surprised snort escaped you, having not expected any response. “Please, you don't have the _heart_ to fight back.”

“bet you read these puns somewhere. had to find all the hidden ones like _sherlock bones._ ”

“Oh my god.”

“i mean, you know some pretty good _rib-ticklers_.”

“Sans, this is turning into a _bone-afide_ disaster and you know it.”

“i guess you could say that they're turning _non-sans-ical._ ”

The back of your mind warned you of the door opening, but you were having too much fun to focus on that for now. “Maybe this is all just some sort of _femur_ dream.”

“nah, we're too _sans-ational_ for that.”

“Stop using your own name! Do something else, you _lazybones_.”

Before Sans could respond, a screech sounded throughout the room, joined by warm, crackling laughter. Even ARP was joining in with his own mechanical laughs.

“mornin', paps.”

“SANS, YOU HAVE TAINTED THE LARGER HUMAN. WHY MUST YOU CONTINUE TO DO THIS?”

“Sorry, Papyrus,” you hummed, noting that your dad and Sans were now flowing with anticipation while Papyrus was just getting more and more worried, “I guess that puns are just really _hip_ nowadays. They're second to _pun_.”

While Papyrus screamed again, the other two broke out into loud laughter. You just grinned proudly, taking note of the fact that, while he seemed upset, Papyrus' soul was displaying clear amusement.

“Best human I could have been given to,” ARP cut in, robotic voice sounding oddly happy.

Grillby, despite being obviously tired, was still happy. He actually seemed to be relieved at hearing you crack jokes like nothing had happened.

“I'M LEAVING. THE HUMAN IS CLEARLY PHYSICALLY FINE, THOUGH THEIR HEAD MAY NEED TO BE LOOKED AT. I'LL SEE YOU AT HOME, SANS.”

“hope you didn't get off on the wrong _foot_ , paps,” Sans rumbled, poking one of your feet with one of his own.

“SANS, NO!” Papyrus screamed again, practically bolting out of the room and out of the house. You would have felt bad about chasing him out if his soul wasn't so clearly displaying happiness and amusement.

“whoops. sorry, kid. you probably wanted to talk to him.”

“Nah, it's okay. I can always talk to him another time.”

Sans seemed particularly happy about that remark, fondness flowing out of his soul before it turned to vague worry. “you okay, grillbs?”

You frowned, focusing in on your father's soul and immediately gasping. “Dad, you're exhausted! Go to bed!” When he moved to argue, you sat up and shook your head. “Absolutely not. I can make my own breakfast, okay?”

Grillby only sighed in response, giving a small hum of approval before wandering off. You only risked getting off the bed once you knew he had made it to his room. Halfway through searching for a sweatshirt, you noticed the distinct fear coming from your companion.

“Sans? Is something wrong?”

“your _dad_ just saw me in your _bed_.”

“Is that a problem?”

Cue immediate incredulous feelings. “he found his friend in his kid's bed.”

“Dude, I literally just met you. Besides, we were above the blankets, fully clothed, and laughing our asses off.”

Sans seemed to calm some, moving toward the door. “so, what're you makin' for breakfast?”

You immediately scoffed, rolling your eyes. “You're making the blind person cook breakfast?”

“hey, you told grillbs you'd cook.”

“Ass,” you grumbled, slipping on one of the sweatshirts and heading out the door.

“so you keep saying.”

 

*****

 

Breakfast went by pretty smoothly, with Sans occasionally making a pun whenever you seemed to start thinking about something less than desirable. He seemed to enjoy your meal of scrambled eggs – which he had to help with by telling you when they were done – and toast. He made fun of you a bit for needing help with the eggs, but it just made you happy since he wasn't treating you with any pity.

Once you had finished eating and put all of the dishes in the sink, you were at a bit of a loss of what to do. Generally, you went about with whatever Grillby wanted to do that day. You still had the rest of the week off at work too, meaning that you couldn't even go in for something to do.

“i'm guessing that whatever you're staring at must be might interesting.”

You flinched, launching out of your stupor. It took a moment to realize that you'd been staring directly at Sans. His soul displayed a bit of embarrassment – probably because he thought you were looking at him – and a lot of contentment.

“Sorry. I was zoning out.”

“penny for your thoughts?”

You smiled at him warmly, remembering the last time he'd asked you that. “Wondering what to do today. My manager wants me to rest more since he seems sure that Mettaton would kill him for letting me work after the last bar incident. Usually, I'll just follow dad around, but he needs his sleep.”

Sans was silent for a moment, considering your situation. “wanna go out?”

“... what?”

Sans immediately became flustered, realizing what he'd said. “i meant outside. i can show you around this part of town. you probably haven't gotten out much right?”

“That actually sounds pretty nice,” you replied with a grin, pulling the hood of your sweatshirt over your head. “I've only been to Muffet's, the grocery store, and my job.”

You heard a few clicking noises that you assumed was Sans sending a text or two. “there. paps knows i'll be late and grillbs will see the message when he gets up. ready to go?”

“My shoes are by the door.”

 

*****

 

Sans was actually quite the gentleman. He took your arm, much like Grillby did, to lead you past things you wouldn't be able to see. Surprisingly enough, he also seemed to catch on to your internal reaction to monsters and made sure that most of them went by him instead. Quite a few shouted out greetings to him.

None of those really bothered you until one in particular shouted out, “got a hot date tonight, Sans?”

You could feel your face grow bright red, while Sans became instantly flustered. He shouted something at the monster that had called out, starting to walk a bit faster.

After that particular incident, you focused less on the souls around you and more on Sans. He was about a foot shorter than you, vaguely surprising since you recalled Papyrus being a couple feet taller. It didn't seem like he cared much about his height, though, since he had taken your arm without any concern in his soul. His hands were also surprisingly warm, all things considered.

“hey, kid, we're here.”

You turned your attention outward, a bit confused when you saw very small lights that felt more like shards of a soul than their own souls and only one monster soul. “Where are we?”

“pet store.”

“Why?”

“'cause i thought you might like feeling their fur.”

Honestly, his reasoning was pretty sound. Not wanting to inflate his ego anymore than it already was, you simply wandered further into the store. In the back of your mind, you heard Sans talking to the shop keeper, but you were too focused on the animal Soul Shards – as you had decided to call them – to pay any real attention.

The only thing that ended up bringing your attention back was when Sans approached you, an incredibly bright animal with a light pink shard that seemed to have a bit of purple in it in his arms. The strange color gave off a feeling of tenacity.

“hold it,” Sans said, practically pushing it into your arms.

Your scrambled to hold it, vaguely concerned that your skeletal companion was going to drop the small animal. The moment your bare hands touch its fur, you felt like you'd ascended. There was _no_ way an animal had fur that soft!

“What is this?”

“a puppy.”

“What _kind_ of puppy?”

“uh...,” Sans hummed before turning his attention elsewhere. “what breed of dog is this?”

The monster soul you had sensed from before approached, seeming very amused. “That one is an Australian Shepard. Too bad, too.”

You immediately turned your attention to the shop keeper. “What do you mean?”

“He's getting too old to keep around, but he's too energetic and smart for those that tried to adopt him,” the man explained, sounding a bit sad. “It's upsetting, but there's nothing we can do if no one wants him.”

A sad hum left your throat as you hugged the dog closer and buried your head in its fur. The puppy wiggled to cuddle into you more, giving off something that resembled a happy purr.

“how much longer are you gonna keep it?” Sans asked, a strange emotion you couldn't place coming from his soul.

“Until the end of the week, I think. That's when the boss is coming in.”

You could feel Sans' gaze on you for a moment before he said, “how much is he?”

“Sans, what are you doing?”

“buying a dog, obviously.”

“Why?”

“because.”

The monster cleared his throat. “One hundred dollars,” he mumbled, seeming a bit embarrassed by your arguing.

“okay.”

“I'll go get the paperwork, then,” the man replied, soul displaying relief. He must have been so happy that the pup was getting a home.

You turned your attention to Sans the moment the shop keeper left the immediate area. “Sans, tell me honestly.”

“he needs a home.”

“Is that really the only reason?”

“you may need to get around on your own at some point, right?”

“I guess. Why?” you asked, scrunching your face up in thought.

“dog could be good for you. you seem really happy cuddling him.”

“Grillby doesn't have a yard, Sans! I can't keep him at the bar. Besides, I haven't even talked to him about it.”

“then he can stay with paps and i for now. we've got a big yard.”

A sigh escaped your throat when you noticed the resolve in his soul. “You're not gonna let me talk you out of this, are you?”

“nope.”

You just huffed loudly, ignoring the whole exchange between Sans and the clerk as the paperwork was filled out. Instead, you wandered about the story with the puppy in your arms. A few minutes later, Sans found you. He clicked something around the puppy's neck, placing the leash in your hands.

“you're gonna have to name him.”

The thought hadn't even occurred to you, but you gave it your best effort. After a moment, you grinned wildly.

“His name is Malleus,” you decided, smiling at the happy yip from the pup.

There was a moment of pause before Sans barked out a laugh. “you're naming him after an ear bone?”

“I mean, he's your dog, too.”

Sans just chuckled, his soul disappearing from your sight for a moment before reappearing in a flash of blue. He grabbed your elbow lightly before leading you from the store. Once outside, you set the soft puppy on the ground, smiling when it just stood right by your side.

“Did you even buy any food, dishes, or anything like that?”

“yeah. i put it in my room.”

“You teleported, didn't you?”

A chuckle. “yup. couldn't leave you waitin'.”

You just shook your head. “I can't believe you just bought me a dog.”

“i can't believe you named the dog i just bought you malleus.”

“Jerk,” you grumbled, elbowing him.

Your skeletal companion merely laughed, his soul seeming even more content than before.

 

*****

 

Sans ended up bringing you to a park. Malleus was peacefully napping in your lap as the two of you chatted the day away. You hadn't even realized how much time had passed until your phone buzzed. Frowning visibly, you slipped it from your pocket.

“ARP? Who's calling?”

“Grillby.”

You winced, putting a hand on Malleus to scratch behind his ears. Damn. He was already calming you down some. You couldn't let Sans be _that_ right.

“Dad?”

_“Hello, child. I just wanted to know if you would be home for lunch.”_

“Lunch?” you mumbled, tilting your head to the side. “What time is it?”

_“Twelve thirty.”_

“Oh, dang. I didn't even notice.” You turned your gaze to Sans, putting a hand over the microphone. “Should we get heading back?”

“nah. you can eat lunch at my house so we can get malleus settled in.”

With a simple nod, you raised the phone back to your ear. “Is it all right if I eat with Sans and Papyrus?”

_“Perfectly fine, but please be back before dinner.”_

A grin spread across your face. “Of course, dad. See you then.”

The moment the phone was in your pocket, Sans stood up. His hand grasped one of yours, soul once again seeming content.

“ready to see what skeletons keep in their closets?”

“Oh my god, Sans.”

A small chuckle escaped the man as he placed Malleus on the ground and helped you to your feet. “hey, you're the one that agreed to come over.”

“I can still change my mind.”

“but you won't.”

“Fair enough,” you replied with a chuckle, smiling as he started leading you from the park. You walked for bit until sudden amusement from Sans caught your attention. “Penny for your thoughts?”

“what did one ocean say to the other?” he asked, practically quivering with excitement. “nothing, it just _waved_.”

“Pfft,” you snorted out, chuckling. “Don't start this war. I'll kick your bony butt.”

“doubtful.”

“Did you hear about the guy who got hit in the head with a soda? He was lucky it was a _soft_ drink.”

“i've been reading a book about anti-gravity. i can't _put it down._ ”

“Accidentally swallowed some food coloring yesterday. Doctor said I'm fine, but I feel like I _dyed_ a little on the inside.”

“ever tried to eat a clock? it's very _time consuming_.”

A spark of inspiration hit you, and you stopped walking in order to look straight at Sans. “When notes get in _treble_ , they _bass_ -ically get put behind _bars_. The _alto_ -nate _pun_ ishment is to push them off a _clef_ and hope they land _flat_ on a _sharp_ object.”

Sans was doubled over with laughter, his snorts easily reaching your ears. “holy shit, kid. that was inspired.”

“Told you I'd win.”

“i'm not done yet. i mean, i'd tell you chemistry joke, but i know i wouldn't get a _reaction_.”

“Did you know I got fired from the calender factory? All I did was take a _day off_!”

“a friend of mine tried to annoy me with bird puns, but i realized that _toucan_ play at that game.”

“My first job was working in an orange juice factory, but I got canned. Couldn't _concentrate_.”

“thieves broke into my house and stole everything but my soap, shower gel, towels, and deodorant. _Dirty bastards_.”

“I wanna make a joke about sodium, but _Na_.”

“why did the scientist install a knocker on his door? he wanted to win the _no-bell_ prize!”

“A book fell on my head earlier, but I've only got _myshelf_ to blame.”

“just be careful. i hate insect puns. they really _bug_ me.”

“Did you hear about the Italian chef with the terminal illness? He _pasta_ way.”

“oh, god. i need to tell paps that one.”

“My math teacher called me _average_ once. How _mean_.”

“which day do chicken hate the most? _fry-_ day.”

“Why did the bee get married? He found his _honey_.”

“a bus station is where a bus stops. a train station is where a train stops. on my desk, i have a _work station_.”

“What did the tree to say to autumn? _Leaf_ me alone.”

“what do sea monsters eat for lunch? fish and _ships_.”

“It's hard to explain puns to kleptomaniacs because they always _take things literally_.”

“you know, on the other hand, you have _different fingers_.”

“Television is a _medium_ because anything _well done_ is _rare_.”

“no matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be _stationary_.”

“What tea do hockey players drink? _Penal-tea_.”

“what do ghosts serve for dessert? _i scream_.”

“What's a ghost's least favorite class? The _boo_ geois.”

“what do squirrels give for valentine's day? forget-me- _nuts_.”

“When I get naked in the bathroom, the shower usually gets _turned on_.”

Sans immediately started stuttering, his soul filling with embarrassment and quite a bit of pride. You just raised an eyebrow at him, waiting until he could formulate any words. He continued to sputter out random noises until you were both distracted by a door slamming open.

“BROTHER! YOU HAVE RETURNED WITH THE LARGER HUMAN. WILL THEY BE STAYING FOR LUNCH?”

“uh, yeah.”

“WOWIE, THAT'S EXCITING! I'LL MAKE SOME FRIENDSHIP SPAGHETTI!” Papyrus cheered, skipping up to you and grabbing your elbow to lead you into the house. His soul was displaying pure happiness, though his attention seemed to quickly change to something else. “WHAT IS THE CANINE BESIDE YOU?”

You smiled softly, kneeling down to pull the puppy into your arms. “This is Malleus,” you explained. “Sans bought him for me.”

“WOWIE, BROTHER! DID YOU READ MY DATING HANDBOOK?”

“b-bro!” Sans gasped out, clearly flustered.

“Dating Handbook?” you asked, raising an eyebrow. Was this whole thing actually supposed to be a date? If it was, he was doing a pretty damn good job.

Did he actually consider you as romantic interest?

“BROTHER WANTED TO KEEP AN EYE ON YOU, SO WE STAYED LAST NIGHT.”

You raised an eyebrow, cuddling Malleus closer. “He said it was because you were worried.”

“SANS, YOU SHOULDN'T LIE TO THE LARGER HUMAN.”

“it's getting late, bro. you should start cooking before lunch passes.”

“OH NO! I DON'T WANT TO MISS LUNCH!”

“I can help you, Papyrus,” you said, smiling brightly at him. “I'm sure we can get it done in no time.” Besides, you needed to get your mind off the idea of dating.

“WOWIE! THANKS, HUMAN!”

 

*****

 

You didn't feel Sans go into the kitchen once, though you could hear him playing fetch with Malleus. You didn't really get much of a chance to look for him, either. Papyrus seemed to like experimenting with his pasta, and you had to step in several times to keep him from putting in something ridiculous.

Having spaghetti with chocolate sauce didn't seem that good.

By the time lunch was finished, Sans and Malleus had quieted in the living room. It took a bit for you to maneuver over to their couch since you weren't used to the layout of the house, but you did manage with some time. Based on their soul positions, you quickly figured out that Sans was laying down with Malleus napping on his chest.

A small smile graced your lips at the idea of what it must have looked like. Malleus must be adorable no matter where he went.

“Sans, the spaghetti is ready.”

He grumbled loudly, wrapping his arms around the pup and turning to his side. “later.”

“Well, I guess I'll just have to eat all of the spaghetti with Papyrus, then. Too bad. I think we did a good job.”

Curiosity spread forth from the skeleton's soul. “you helped?”

“I said I would, didn't I?”

Sans groaned in annoyance before standing up, placing Malleus on his shoulders. “it better be good.”

“Please. I'm a master chef.”

“you wish.”

“No I don't,” you replied with a noncommittal wave of your hand. “That job sounds well to stressful.”

Sans lightly pulled you to the side. “table.”

“Thanks. Anyway, it also sounds like I'd need to be able to actually _see_ what I'm cooking.”

“fair enough.”

Upon entering the kitchen, Papyrus practically pushed you into a chair. His soul was radiating excitement and happiness. It seemed like he really enjoyed having you around. Which was weird. At the orphanage, others were only happy to see you when you brought food or were there to help with labor. Being the oldest at that place wasn't exactly the best thing, especially since you were effectively forced into a lot of things.

Being with Grillby and these boys was a much warmer situation, no pun intended this time. They actually wanted you around.

“LARGER HUMAN?”

You merely smiled at them, lowering the hood of your sweatshirt. “Sorry, I was just thinking.”

“penny for your thoughts?”

“This is the happiest I've been in a long time. I've never felt so welcomed!”

“I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOUR REACTION TO YOUR COMING OF AGE PARTY.”

“Oh? Are you two involved?”

“mettaton invited us.”

“I hope he didn't invite too many people I don't know.”

“WE COULD INTRODUCE YOU!”

“That sounds pretty cool,” you hummed, carefully placing a hand on the table to search for your fork.

“here,” Sans muttered, placing the silverware into your hand.

“Oh, thanks.” You smiled happily at him, feeling that same flutter of untraceable emotions before it was repressed again.

Today was a good day.

 

*****

 

Sans escorted you home shortly after lunch, once you were sure you'd had enough Malleus cuddles. Papyrus had given you several bone-crushing hugs, telling you to visit many times to protect him from the 'meddling canine'. Despite the monster souls, you felt like you had grown to know them well enough. Neither boy left you feeling scared of them, which was a welcome change.

“we're here.”

You nodded, a bit sad that the day was over. “Thanks for the day, Sans. It's been a long time since I've had such a good time.”

“'m glad,” he muttered.

“We should do it again.”

Surprise flew from his soul. “wait, really?”

“Definitely,” you replied with a smile. “If you'd like, anyway.”

“'course i want to,” he scrambled to respond, seeming to be more than a little happy. “paps and i will see you tonight if you come down to the bar.”

“I'll make sure to have dinner down there tonight. Besides, I bet Dogaressa will want to know that I'm okay.”

“see you tonight?”

“See you then, Sans,” you responded, giving him a rather tight hug. “Have a good afternoon,” you hummed before disappearing down the alley that led to the house's door.

Once inside, you lessened your Soul Sight – as you had begun to call it – so that you couldn't feel anymore of Sans' emotions. Taking a deep breath, you leaned against the door to get your bearings back.

“Child?”

You jumped up straight, gaze shooting around until you found the location of your father's soul. He was sitting where you remembered the counter you tended to eat at was, confusion lacing his soul.

“You are very flushed. Are you feeling okay?”

“Uh, yeah, I think so,” you mumbled, managing to move forward and take your usual seat across from him. “What are you up to?”

“We are reaching the end of the month. I am finishing up the expenditure forms.”

“Sounds boring.”

“Incredibly,” he responded, chuckling. “How was your day?”

You shifted a bit uncomfortably. “Dad, can I ask you an honest question?”

“Of course.”

“Was that supposed to be a date?”

Uncertainty and annoyance burst forth from your father's soul. “Pardon?”

“Sans bought me a puppy and brought me to the park. I never got the chance to date before, so I'm just vaguely confused.”

“That... certainly sounds like it may have been a date.”

You flushed, heat rising in your cheeks. “Holy shit.”

“I shall... talk to Sans.”

“Dad.”

“It shall be a pleasant talk, child, do not worry. I will merely find out his intentions.”

You rolled your eyes. “Okay, okay. Need any help today?”

“If you could clean the tables, it would be very helpful.”

You hopped off your chair, happy to have a task to keep your mind off of things. As you went about washing the bar's tables, your mind wandered back to its original concern regardless. If Sans did intend that to be a date, you were happy that he didn't say so. It seemed like he honestly wanted to get to know first, which meant he was taking it seriously.

He was funny, for a bag of bones, and he honestly seemed to consider your feelings.

It was nice.

 

*****

 

Around the time Grillby decided to open, you went upstairs to shower and get some newer clothes on. While you were still in the bathroom, you felt the familiar souls of Sans and Papyrus, as well as Malleus' soul shard. Sans seemed a bit flustered, while Papyrus seemed incredibly amused. If you could guess, the taller skeleton was picking on his brother.

It wasn't until you felt fear from Sans and a rather large amount of malice from Grillby that you rushed to get the rest of your clothes on. You were actually still sliding your arms through the sweatshirt when you were barreling down the stairs. By the time you were through the bar's kitchen door, you were fairly certain that all of your clothes were on correctly.

“Dad! Put Sans down!”

Every soul turned their attention to you, surprise radiating.

“OH, HELLO LARGER HUMAN. PLEASE HAVE GRILLBY PUT MY BROTHER DOWN. THIS IS MAKING ME NERVOUS.”

“My apologies, child,” your father hummed, setting the skeleton down and getting off of his bar. “I was merely talking to him.”

“That didn't look like talking!”

“It was violent talking.”

“'m okay, kid,” Sans hummed, lumbering over to you. “grillbs was just asking about our, uh....”

“Date?”

It didn't take long for Sans to become incredibly flustered, especially with the immediate reaction from everyone in the bar. Surprisingly enough, they all seemed happy for the two of you. Grillby just huffed quietly, turning toward his drinks to mix something.

“uh... yeah... our date.”

You smiled softly at him, happier when his embarrassment faded a bit. “Now, where's Malleus?”

At this point, Papyrus bounded over, pushing the puppy into your arms. “HE STOLE MY SPECIAL ATTACK. AND ALSO MY ARM.”

“Malleus stole your arm?”

“YES. I HAD TO CHASE HIM AROUND THE YARD TO GET IT BACK. SANS ONLY LAUGHED.”

“Sounds like him,” you replied with a grin, nudging the shorter skeleton with your elbow. “You couldn't just help your brother?”

“he had it _hand_ led.”

You snorted loudly, moving over to the bar and sliding into one of the seats. “Hey, dad. What's for dinner tonight?”

“Burger and fries.”

“Cool. I'm looking forward to it,” you hummed happily, grinning up at Grillby.

The man seemed to calm somewhat at your happy demeanor, disappearing into the kitchen to make your food. Papyrus plopped down into the seat to your left while Sans sat to your right. It was around this time that you noticed another soul present, hovering just above Sans' shoulder. This one felt like several Soul Shards that were trying to be one soul. If anything, they seemed like they had originally _belonged_ to one soul.

“HOW ARE YOU DOING, LARGER HUMAN?” Papyrus asked, launching you out of your thoughts. “WE DID NOT MEAN TO START A FIGHT.”

“Don't worry about it, Papy,” you hummed, not realizing what you'd said until you were wrapped into a bony and rather warm hug.

“WOWIE! FRIENDS ALWAYS HAVE NICKNAMES.”

“where's my nickname, then?”

You turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow. “Is lazybones a nickname?”

“NO PUNS AS NICKNAMES!”

A chuckle escaped you, a very clear idea forming in your mind. It didn't take long for Papyrus and Sans to turn to stare at you. Before they could ask any questions, Grillby returned and set your food in front of you.

“penny for your thoughts?”

You shook your head, trying to hide your grin. “Papy would kill me.”

“DON'T SAY IT.”

“please say it.”

With a grin that was widening by the moment, you turned your gaze to Sans. “We could be _vertebaes_.”

Papyrus immediately started screaming while Sans seemed stuck between intense amusement and embarrassment. In front of you, Grillby snorted.

“oh my god, kid. you're amazing.”

“I do try,” you replied with a grin, smiling brightly as you dug into your food.

 

Yeah. Being happy again was pretty nice.


	8. Welcome to My Soul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thinking about making a tumblr, but haven't decided yet. Maybe later.
> 
> Don't forget to check me out on Twitter if you want to know what I'm up to throughout the day!
> 
> On a separate note, I just got diagnosed with a mild concussion. I'm less apt to notice mistake because of it, so please point out any mistakes to me! Thank you so much!
> 
> Well this might not make sense now, translations in the end notes!

Most of the evening went by nicely, though you occasionally got distracted by the soul that was broken into Soul Shards. When the night finally ended, you returned to your room and set ARP camera down on the bedside table.

“Excuse me!”

While a bit scared, you were also vaguely glad that the shards were following you.

“Who are you?” you finally asked, moving up to the soul and holding a hand out. Each shard floated closer, resting gently in your palm as if tired. Words soon invaded your mind, though they were hard to understand and mixed with intense static..

**_“00000_ _, 00000. 00 0000 00 0.0. 000000._ _”_ **

You flinched back. “I-I'm sorry? I don't know what you're saying.”

**_“00000_ _, 00000. 0 00000 0000 00 000 00 0000 0000._ _”_ **

The shards floated over to your bed. “Oh. You want me to sleep?” They moved up and down. “At least you understand what _I'm_ saying.” With a bit of a shrug, you changed into your pajamas and climbed into the bed. “Good night, I guess. Sleep well, Soul Shards.”

“Who are you talking to?” ARP questioned, huffing in annoyance as you ignored him and drifted off.

 

*****

 

It didn't take long to figure out that you weren't awake any longer. The first indication was that you could actually see your surroundings, something that rarely happened, even in your dreams. The next thing was that the monster that had first attacked you was now present. You knew he couldn't be, especially since he was in police custody now.

If you had to hazard a guess, you were reliving your attack. Or, at least, you were _going_ to until everything around you fell away into an empty white space. It was a nice change from blackness.

After floating around for awhile – and probably going a _little_ crazy at the nothingness – you found the shimmering Soul Shards. A body had formed beside them, the creature nothing but a large black glob with a skeletal mask.

“Excuse me?”

The head turned toward your figure, seeming pleased that you had arrived. **_“00000_ _, 00000. 000 000 0000000000 00 000?_ _”_**

You frowned. “I'm, uh, sorry?”

 ** _“00000_ _, 00000 00 00 000 000000000,_ _”_ ** the figure hummed, several hands appearing around him.

You watched each one start to trace words until you understood. “Oh! It's nice to meet you, W.D. Gaster!” A moment – and more hand motions – later, you smiled. “Gaster it is.”

The figure seemed pleased. **_“_ _000 000 0000, 00000. 000 0 000 000 0 00000?_ _”_**

Writing soon followed his words, helping you understand. “I guess you can. What do you need?”

**_“0_ _0000 00 00000000000 00000 000000 00 0000 0000._ _”_ **

“House yourself in my soul? That doesn't sound... healthy.”

**_"00 0000 00 0000000. 0 00000 00 000000000 0000 00 0000 000000 00 0000 00. 000 0000000 0000 00 000 000000 000000."_ **

“How can I trust you? Borrowing my energy sounds dangerous.”

**_"00 0000 00 0000. 000 0000 00 0000000000 00000000 0000."_ **

“My soul is powerful?” you questioned, shaking your head after the words left your mouth. “Never mind. Forget about that. My dad said that all humans have powerful souls. Will _I_ be in any danger?”

The man shook his head.

A sigh escaped you, and you decided to get something else cleared up while you thought. “Are you related to Sans and Papyrus?”

**_"0000 000 00 0000."_ **

“They're your kids?!”

He nodded.

“Then I guess I have to help.”

**_"00 000 0000 000000000 000000 0000000 00 000 00000000."_ **

“I don't feel obligated, Gaster. I just really want to help you, especially since I imagine it would make Sans and Papy happy.”

The man gave a small hum, floating over to you.  ** _"0 0000 000 0000 000 0000 0000."_**

“Will that hurt?”

He shook his head, reaching out one of his hands – allowing you to see the hole in the middle – and asking for permission. At your small nod, he placed the hand to your sternum. Instantly, there was a strange, incredibly unpleasant pulling sensation. A small, glowing object soon popped from your chest, floating in front of you and leaving what almost felt like a hole. Whatever he'd taken out shouldn't have been taken out.

A gasp arose from you and Gaster at the same time as the colors became clear. Your soul was every color you could imagine. In moments, the word came to you.

“Spectrum.”

Gaster shot you a glance, but seemed to decide to question you later. As carefully as he seemed capable, the skeletal goop monster placed his Soul Shards _into_ your soul. It was indescribable, but you got the feeling your own soul wanted to expel the shards.

As each shard entered your soul, Gaster started to take shape. The black goop that made up his form beginning to thin out a bit, while also getting taller. Once the last shard entered your soul, Gaster was standing before you in all of his glory.

He was wearing a lab coat with a black turtle neck and beige khakis underneath. His head was quite a bit above yours, making him even taller than Papyrus. Each hand still had a hole, as did his face still have a crack going up from the left eye and one going downward from the right one. His skull seemed a bit more expressive now, with his eye sockets being able to move and his mouth forming into a smile.

“Can you understand me now?”

“Whoa,” you mumbled, staring up at him. “Are you, uh, still speaking like before? You sound strange.”

He smiled a bit wider. “Yes, I am. Since I am residing in your soul, you may access my knowledge at any given point. This includes my knowledge of the Wingding language.”

“Wingding?”

“It is what the W.D. in my name stands for,” he explained patiently.

“Okay, I guess. Can you tell me what happened to your soul?”

Gaster nodded, taking a seat and gesturing for you to do the same. “This area we are in now is known as the Void. Sans must pass through here in order to shortcut from place to place, but it is dangerous to be here for long periods of time.” Noticing your panic at that last statement, he raised a hand. “Please, calm down, human. It is only dangerous if you are conscious. That is why I requested that you sleep.”

You leaned back, scrunching up your nose as you thought. “Makes sense, I guess, but you still haven't answered my question.”

“Patience, human,” Gaster scolded, raising an eye socket ridge. “I was working on a project when it went horribly wrong. When the machine's wiring failed and created a tear in space, I was thrown into the void. From what little I have been able to see, only Sans can even _recall_ my existence.”

“Why Sans?” you asked, leaning forward again as curiosity overwhelmed your concern.

“He has an awareness that most do not possess,” the man said a bit hesitantly. “However, I would like to leave that for him to explain when he is ready.”

“Fair enough. So what happened to your soul?”

“The Void is a very dangerous place, as I mentioned earlier. The longer I was trapped here, the more my body and soul deteriorated. I am led to believe that much more time here would have begun to destroy both completely.”

“But you're getting better now?” While you didn't exactly know the guy, he was Sans and Papyrus' dad. You didn't want them to lose him, especially if Sans remembered him still.

Gaster nodded, pointing to the heart object floating before you. “Yes. Since my soul now has a connection to an area other than the Void, I am able to resist the affects. Over time, it will began to reform. Once my soul is whole again, I should be able to use that connection to pull myself out of the Void.”

“How long should that take?” you asked, moving to lay on your stomach.

“I am unsure. As my soul begins to heal, I should be able to give you an estimate.”

“Cool,” you mumbled, staring up at him. “So, aside from that, I can talk in Wingdings now?”

Gaster seemed more than a little amused at this. “Yes, you should be capable. Go ahead and try a simple greeting.”

After giving an affirming nod, you took a deep breath and said, **_“_ _00000, 000000._ _”_** _Hello, Gaster,_ your mind translated back, impressing you.

“Hello to you as well,” the man replied, clearly impressed. “You pronunciation could use a bit of work, but considering that it is not a language intended for humans, you are doing incredibly well.”

“Say something to me in Wingdings."

“I believe I mentioned earlier, but I _have_ been talking to you in Wingdings. I am still working on learning a new language.”

You visibly frowned, puffing out your cheeks. “Then why am I just hearing it in a way I can understand? When I said something, my mind had to translate it back to me.”

Gaster raised an eyebrow ridge, clearly curious. “Perhaps it is because I reside _in_ your soul. You are hearing my words after they already been translated?”

“That stinks,” you grumbled, turning over onto your back and staring up into the endless whiteness.

“Is something on your mind?”

You simply shrugged. “It's nice to be able to see again. Seeing souls and feeling their emotions is cool and all, but I miss being able to see expressions and things. This is the first time I haven't had to rely on my Soul Sight just to enjoy myself.”

Gaster placed a comforting hand on your shoulder. “I may be able to help with that once I get my body back,” he hummed. “I was the royal scientist before my accident in the CORE.”

Raising an eyebrow, you turned your gaze to the man. “If what I've heard of your track record is any indication, that doesn't sound very nice.”

“Very funny,” Gaster grumbled back, though his grin gave away his true feelings. “That happened because I was attempting to mess with the Void in the first place. I should never have messed with something beyond my understanding.”

“That's like, rule number one of science, dude.”

A chuckle escaped the man. “Perhaps it is.”

Before either of you could say any more, black began encroaching into the edges of your eyes. You immediately started to panic, especially when you realized that Gaster was fading from your vision.

“What's going on?! Why am I losing my sight again?!”

“You are waking up,” the man replied, moving closer to hug you and pat your back as a father might. “Do not be afraid or concerned. We can always return to this world when you sleep.”

 

*****

 

You shot up out of bed, breaths coming in rapid gasps. It took only a moment for you to be positive that you were awake, the bandages around your head helping to form that conclusion.

“Shall I turn off the alarm?”

“Yes, please, ARP.”

With a rather loud sigh, you slipped out of bed and grabbed some new clothes for the day. Making sure you had ARP and that every piece of your outfit was in your arms, you headed off to the bathroom to shower. Between setting down your clothing and getting ready to take off your night shirt, you paused.

“Gaster? Are you there?”

_“Yes.”_

Heat flashed across your face. “Can you, uh, not watch right now? I mean, I don't exactly know if you can see since I can't, but I, uh....”

_“I shall allow you your private time, human. Do not worry. This time can be for my rest and recuperation.”_

“Cool,” you hummed, glad to have some privacy.

Despite the reassurance you'd received from Gaster, you were out of the shower in just a few minutes. By the time you were fully dressed, sweatshirt and all, Grillby was in the kitchen downstairs. A part of you wanted nothing more than to climb back into bed and go to sleep – you still had a lot of questions for Gaster – but you were also incredibly hungry.

“Good morning, dad,” you called upon entering the kitchen, taking your usual place at the island counter that served as your table.

Grillby hummed a simple greeting, placing a plate before you. “Omelette.”

“Smells delicious,” you replied, happily digging in once the fork was placed in your hand. “Tastes delicious, too.”

“Of course. _I_ made it,” he hummed in response, taking his seat across from you as he chuckled. There was a moment of pause before Grillby finally spoke up again, asking, “you see _all_ souls, yes?”

You simply nodded.

“I know a bit about human soul colors, so I was wondering what color yours was.”

A frown spread across your face. “I'm not exactly sure,” you admitted. “Colors give me feelings, but all I get from mine is a name.”

“A... name?”

“Spectrum.”

Confusion spread from your father's soul, combined with a bit of curiosity. “I am meeting with Asgore today to discuss my working at an event for him and Toriel. He wished to know more about you and your soul color since most humans are still incredibly cautious around us.”

“I'm still cautious around you.”

“But you allowed me to adopt you, which is an incredible improvement,” he replied, smile clear in his voice. “Regardless, I have never heard of a Spectrum soul. If you would like, I can ask Asgore.”

Your immediately brightened, turning your gaze to your father. “That would be great!”

“I am glad. I have to leave soon since he wants to have lunch together during our meeting. Will you be okay alone?”

After shifting in your seat for a moment, you mumbled, “could I have Sans' number in case something happens?”

A sound that oddly resembled a growl escaped Grillby, vague protectiveness escaping his soul. “I shall give you Papyrus' number. And Muffet's.”

“You're not giving me Sans' number, are you?”

“No.”

Rolling your eyes, you handed the phone across the counter. “Wow, thanks, dad.”

“I have put in Papyrus, Muffet, and Undyne's numbers,” he said after a moment, sliding the phone back toward you.

“Undyne?” you hummed. The name sounded familiar.

“Former captain of the royal guard. She is the chief of police now. Just got promoted a week ago, actually.”

“I've never met her.”

“But she can help.”

You rolled your eyes, slipping the phone into your pocket. “Are you heading out, then?”

Grillby stood, giving you a large hug before moving over to the door, “yes. I shall be back before opening. Are you sure you will be okay?”

“I'll be fine, dad. Enjoy your visit with Asgore.”

“I will. Call me if you need anything.” The man paused, walking back over to set something warm in your palm. “Before I forget, I made this for you.”

“What is it?”

“A locket imbued with my fire magic. If you ever grow cold, hold it close and it shall warm you up. The days are getting colder, so I refuse to leave you in a bad situation.”

You pulled the necklace closer, smiling when a familiar warmth flowed through your whole body. “Thanks, dad. I'll keep it with me.”

“Stay safe today, child. I shall see you tonight.”

The moment you were sure Grillby had left the property, you pulled your phone out. “ARP, text Papyrus and ask him for Sans' number.”

“I shall send the message. You planned this from the start, didn't you?”

You grinned, smiling down at the phone. “It's his fault for not realizing.”

Five minutes later, you had a new contact in your phone that was dialing.

_“_ _uh, hello?_ _”_

“You were sleeping weren't you?”

_“_ _who is this? how did you know that?_ _”_

“Dude, it's ten in the morning. Of course you were sleeping.”

 _“_ who _is this?_ _”_

“What? Don't know you remember your _vertabae's_ voice?” you hummed, grinning.

The result was immediate. Sans seemed to choke on his own air. Incomprehensible stuttering escaped him for several moments. Silence followed a loud crash within seconds.

“Did you just fall off your bed?”

_“_ _no._ _”_

“Are you lying?”

_“_ _yes._ _”_

You rolled your eyes. “I know that we just hung out yesterday, but do you want to hang out again?”

_“_ _doesn't grillbs want to see you?_ _”_

“He has a meeting with someone named Asgore.”

_“_ _so you're home alone?_ _”_

“Yup, but it's lonely.”

_“_ _want to go to the park? i can go pick you up with malleus._ _”_

You jumped off of your stool, practically tripping over your own feet in order to rush upstairs and get changed into nicer clothes. “Sounds great! When should I expect you?”

_“normally, i'd say a few minutes, but i should probably shower since i'll be seeing ya. give me ten.”_

“See you in ten!”

As you tossed the phone on the bed, getting ready to dig in the closet for a really nice sweatshirt, ARP started singing.

“My master has a date! My master has a date!”

That fucking phone.

 

*****

 

A flash of blue and the appearance of a soul and Soul Shard from just outside the door alerted you to Sans' arrival. You practically skipped down the steps, excited to see the monster that had begun making you feel so loved so quickly.

“Someone is very excited to see their boyfriend.”

“Oh my god, ARP.”

As you put your hand on the knob, a voice spoke up from the other side, “knock knock.”

“Who's there?” you asked, letting go and leaning against the wall beside the door.

“honeydew.”

You raised an eyebrow, focusing on the anticipation coming from his soul. “Honeydew who?”

“honeydew you know how fine you look right now?”

A snort quickly escaped you. “You can't even see me!”

“you always look fine.”

You pulled the door open, trying to ignore the heat spreading across your face. “Really?”

“i was right. you look just as beautiful as usual.”

“You are _so_ corny.” A thought occurred to you, and you grinned down at him. “You read Papy's dating rulebook, didn't you?”

“... no.”

“Liar.”

“maybe.”

Rolling your eyes again, you plucked Malleus from the skeleton's grasp. “Hello, pupper!”

The pup barked happily, licking your cheeks and making you laugh.

“i knew that was a good buy.”

You lifted the hood of your sweatshirt over your face, taking his arm as you headed toward the street. “He stole Papy's arm.”

“he got it back.”

“Can you guys just, like, pull off your own limbs?” you asked, deciding to focus on satiating your curiosity instead of continuing a fake argument.

“sorta. as long as the bone's at a joint, we can take it off. breaking a bone off is bad in most cases.”

“Most cases?”

A tinge of embarrassment passed over Sans' soul before he explained, “skeletons have children by breaking off a rib.”

“That sounds super painful.”

“incredibly.”

“So you don't do it the human way?”

The tinge from before blossomed to cover his entire soul. “no, uh..., skeletons don't have sex drives. we don't exactly have the same parts.”

“Fair enough,” you managed, trying to ignore the heat in your face. “S-so you guys could just have a kid at any time?”

Seeming a bit glad to be away from the topic of sex, Sans hummed, “yeah, i guess.”

“That's actually super convenient.”

Sans shrugged, the motion jostling your arm a bit. “sorta. it incapacitates you for a few days 'cause of the pain.”

A few human souls full of unrestrained joy running around nearby distracted you for a moment. None seemed to be aware of their surroundings, and that seemed even clearer when a sudden splash of water slammed into your chest.

“Sorry!” one of the kids called before she and her friends ran off.

A soft sigh escaped you. In order to keep your head covered, you needed to wear the sweatshirt. That meant you'd have to walk around in a soaking wet sweater.

“you okay, kid?” Sans asked, moving in front of you.

“Yeah, just a little annoyed. Wish they were paying attention on where they were pointing those water guns.”

“wanna wear my sweatshirt?”

You raised an eyebrow at him. “Don't you never take that thing off? I can _feel_ your soul's connection to it.”

“you need it more than i do. i'd be upset if you got a cold.”

“If you're sure.”

Sans pulled you lightly, leading you somewhere else. “there's less people over here. now take off your sweatshirt.”

Within a few minutes, your sweatshirt was now in Sans' possession while you wore his. It was incredibly fluffy on the inside, keeping any and all warmth trapped. There was the vague scent of sweat and ketchup, which made sense all things considered.

“sorry. i shoulda washed it.”

“I like the smell. It's pretty much the only thing I've smelt whenever I was near you.” You took a sniff, scrunching up your nose. “It that cologne?”

The same flustered feeling as before blossomed from Sans, though it was joined by a contentedness that was paired with something else you couldn't place. Smiling softly at him, you ran ahead a bit, enjoying the warm air and chilly breeze as Malleus followed at your heels.

_“Human! Look out!”_

“Master!”

A flash of black practically exploded in front of you, dark strings reaching out and clutching your soul.

“Sans!”

Immediate panic exploded from the skeleton. “kid! error, get away from them!”

From there, your world went dark.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here are the translations if you'd like them! The lines were actually written in Wingdings in my writing software, so it looked better :/ Sorry for any confusion!
> 
> “Hello, human. My name is W.D. Gaster.”
> 
> “Sleep, human. I shall talk to you as your rest.”
> 
> *****
> 
> “Hello, human. Can you understand me now?”
> 
> “Human, allow me to try something,"
> 
> "You are kind, human. May I ask you for a favor?”
> 
> “I wish to temporarily house myself in your soul.”
> 
> “My soul is damaged. I would be borrowing some of your energy to heal it. You noticed that it has become shards.”
> 
> “It will be safe. You have an incredibly powerful soul.”
> 
> “They are my sons.”
> 
> “Do not feel obligated simply because of our relation.”
> 
> “I will now take out your soul.”
> 
> “Hello, Gaster.”


	9. Why's He Such an Asshole?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if I should add more universes. Right now, I only have two on the block, but I might be willing to add more if you all want. There are still a few that I don't know too much about, so I may just do a one-shot of the reader's trip to that dimension in the future.
> 
> Enjoy the chapter!

Waking up was something that you certainly didn't appreciate, especially since it was to ARP's quiet hissing and Malleus' much louder whining. Your hands and legs were absolutely freezing, and, as you struggled into a sitting position, you buried the former into Malleus' warm fur.

“Master! You have awoken. I was concerned.”

A bit hesitantly, you pulled ARP from the pocket of your sweatshirt. When you went to put him down on the ground, a sharp squeak of protest escaped him.

“Please do not put me down in the snow! I quite like my wires nice and dry, thank you.”

“Snow?” you mumbled, taking your other hand from Malleus' fur to feel around you.

That was definitely snow.

“ARP? Where are we?”

“I can not be sure. Something is interfering with my ability to connect to any cell towers. However, we appear to be a snowy forest.”

“I'm going to put you back in my pocket for safe keeping.”

“Thank you. I greatly appreciate that.”

Sighing softly, you pulled Malleus into your arms and managed to force yourself to stand. Rustling leaves sounded overhead, enforcing ARP's claim that you were in a forest. You shook what snow you could off before branching out your Soul Sight. A gasp immediately escaped you at the familiar soul you spotted.

“Sans!” you called out, taking off into the forest and doing your best to maneuver around the trees. He must have been looking for you!”

“huh?” the skeleton muttered at your voice and appearance, voice sounding a lot gruffer than usual. Within a second, red magic blasted from the figure, lifting you and Malleus into the air. “who the-? what the _fuck_? where'd this human come from? how'd you get this far into the forest?”

“S-Sans?” you gasped out, terror gripping your soul as you hugged Malleus tighter. “What's going on? Why is your magic red? Please put me down! You're scaring me!”

There was a moment of pause, hesitation clear in the monster's soul. You were fairly certain that _nothing_ could cut through the tension in the air. Fear was digging deeper into you with every passing second as you wondered what had happened to make Sans act like this.

“sorry, buddy,” he rumbled, lowering you to the ground but not quite letting you go. “i don't know ya. now how 'bout you answer one a' my questions. how the hell do ya know _me_?”

You frowned, narrowing your Soul Sight into the depths of Sans' soul. There was nothing but suspicion and anger within it – to such an extent that it was nothing you had seen – but looking closer revealed that there was a _pink_ spark within his soul.

It wasn't red.

“You're Sans,” you muttered, shivers starting to wrack your body. “But you're not _my_ Sans, are you?”

Confusion emanated from his soul, and you could only watch as his soul approached. “wanna tell me where you got that jacket, _human_?”

“Sans gave it to me!”

The red around you faded, your shaking legs immediately giving out and forcing you to your knees. Malleus whimpered quietly, nuzzling you in an effort to calm the both of you down.

“fuck this shit. classic would kill me if i hurt his, uh..., who are you exactly? what happened?”

“I don't know what the hell happened!” you cried out, shivering from the fear. “I was out on a date and it was going really well – I think, anyway – and then these weird black strings came out of freaking nowhere and just pulled me somewhere! I don't know where I am or why your souls feels just like Sans' but also not!”

“my soul?”

“I'm blind, dammit!” you snarled in response, feeling your emotions start to overwhelm you more so than usual. Managing the best glare at his soul you could manage, you practically tore the hood of the sweatshirt off of your head. “All I can see is souls! Yours looks and feels just like Sans' except for the spark!”

“okay, human, you're gonna have to slow the fuck down. i got no idea what you're sayin'.”

Taking a deep breath, you released your death grip on Malleus and set to scratching behind his ear. While you weren't sure where you'd ended up, the smell of Sans' jacket and the feeling of Malleus' warm fur helped to calm you somewhat.

“Monster souls have a bit of color that I've started calling a Soul Spark, or spark for short. _My_ Sans has a red one, for determination. Yours is pink, which I think stands for dedication.”

“and you can just _see_ all of this?”

“No need to sound so incredulous. I was given a rare monster drink by my adoptive dad after I was attacked and lost my sight. After that, all I could see aside from blackness was souls.”

Sans seemed, oddly enough, to accept that. “so why're you here?”

“I _don't know_. There was just these weird black strings.”

A sigh of annoyance escaped the man. “ever heard the name 'error'?”

You frowned, biting your bottom lip as you thought. “I think Sans yelled that when I was getting pulled through, but I'm not sure.”

“god dammit. fucking error is causing problems again.”

“Who's Error?”

“i'm gonna have to explain a lot more than that,” he grumbled, “but we should probably do it somewhere warmer. if you get hurt, classic will kill me.”

“Classic?”

“your sans.”

Shaking your head, you pulled the locket from underneath your sweatshirt, holding it close. “Don't worry about me. My adoptive dad gave me this to keep warm. Wasn't expecting I'd need it so soon.”

Sans just sighed again, plopping down beside you. “ever heard of any dimension theories?”

“Are you saying that this is a different dimension?” you asked, not missing a single beat.

“you catch on quick, human,” Sans grumbled. “ink told me that this world is underfell, so feel free to call me fell when we're alone. based on that jacket, i'd say you're from undertale, where classic lives.”

“Backtrack. Who's Ink?”

“he can travel between the dimensions.”

“Like I assume Error can?”

“yeah.”

“So why am _I_ here?”

“error likes to mess with the dimensions when he can. ink's been trying to catch him for a while.”

“Clearly no luck,” you grumbled, leaning back a bit.

“heh, nope. he musta seen you get close to classic. decided to step in and make life difficult.”

“And how do I get home?”

Fell sighed again. It seemed to be something that happened often. “i'll have to get in touch with ink since he's the only one that can travel who would be willing to help. it'll take me a few days to build up the magic, though.”

You brought your legs up to your chest, frowning into your knees. “And what do I do in the mean time? If your reaction was any indication, the monsters here don't like humans.”

“human, you have no idea,” he rumbled. “any human that falls down gets killed they second they leave the ruins, if not before.”

A shock went down your spine, forcing your gaze back to Fell's soul. “'Falls down'? Are... are you still underground?!”

“yeah. kid's been trying a lot, but they keep needing to reset.”

“I'll ask about that later,” you groaned, feeling a familiar sense of dread resonate in your own soul. “Right now, my main problem is what I'm going to do.”

“i'll help.”

“Your soul is suggesting you're less than happy about that.”

“classic would murder me if i let you get hurt,” he admitted, lazily getting up from his spot and brushing some snow from his jacket. “but you're going to have to listen to my every order, got it? underfell is a dangerous place, _especially_ for a human.”

“If you say so,” you mumbled quietly, pulling the hood of your sweatshirt back over your head before standing. Malleus pushed inside of the jacket, curling into the warmth of your body. You zipped up the sweatshirt around him, cuddling him closer to your chest. “What do you need me to do?”

Grumbling loudly to himself, Fell grabbed one of your wrists. “boss and i are a couple of the monsters few mess with. stick close to me and call me sans if anyone else is nearby. need to make them think i'll kill them if they try to hurt you. keep your hood on. hope they think you're a monster.”

“Did you say something about killing them?”

“don't think too much about it. now let's go, pet.”

You froze, attempting to pull your wrist away from him and grumbling when you failed. “ _What_ did you just call me?”

“get used to it,” Fell growled. “you want them to think they know what's going on or not? also, i'd suggest swearing a bit more. you'll fit in better.”

Furrowing your eyebrows, you snarled out, “then, why don't you let go of me, you fucker?”

After a moment of silence, a sharp bark of laughter escaped Fell. “there you go, pet. let's get home so you can warm up. boss shouldn't be home for a couple hours.”

“Who's this 'boss'? You mentioned him earlier.”

Fell seemed to shiver, a stab of fear passing by his soul. “papyrus.”

You gave him a strange glance, feeling that pushing this question wouldn't end well for either of you.

Besides, you'd find out soon enough.

 

*****

 

Upon entering the town, Snowdin as Fell informed you, you noticed an immediate difference from the souls you were used to. These were much brighter, possessing a larger amount of magic than you were used to. It was terrifying, actually. They reminded you of the monster that had originally taken your sight. These weren't the monsters that you had grown to be comfortable around.

These were murderers.

Fell pulled your wrist, and you could practically feel his glare. “c'mon, _pet_. we're almost home.”

A lot of the souls that had been viewing you with contempt and murderous intent backed away, fear now lacing every other emotion they felt.

They were _terrified_ of Fell.

The sound of a door clicking open took your attention from everything else and onto the building you were entering. First and foremost, you noted that the house smelt just like Sans and Papyrus' house. In some part of your mind, that made sense. While this was a different dimension, they were still Sans and Papyrus.

Once the door shut, Fell released your wrist. Malleus hurled himself from your jacket, immediately running off to sniff around.

“you don't feel boss anywhere do you?”

You focused your Soul Sight, covering the whole house and some beyond. “No,” you finally decided. “I don't sense a soul that feels like Papy's.”

“good. let's get you to the bath so i can clean your clothes.”

 

*****

 

The entire situation felt surreal to you. One moment, you were enjoying a date with Sans, who was – at the very least, anyway – interested in one day becoming your _vertabae_. Less than an hour later, you were being dragged through dimensions. Honestly, if it wasn't for your Soul Sight, you would have thought the whole thing was some elaborate joke.

“Gaster?” you whispered out once your clothes were on.

 _“H-man,”_ his voice rasped out, distorted and hard to hear.

“Is something wrong? Are you okay?”

 _“Ha-d to con-ect,”_ the skeleton forced, parts of his words cutting out. _“Li-ten. Be ca-ef-l. Sans is lo-ki-g for you.”_

“I can barely hear you, Gaster!”

_“In h-me dim-nsi-n's Void.”_

A soft curse escaped your lips. Of couse. Gaster was still technically in the Void from your home dimension. It shouldn't have been surprising that he was having trouble connecting. In fact, you should have been glad that he could talk to you at all.

“Get some rest, okay, Gaster? This dimension's Sans is taking care of me.”

_“Be s-fe.”_

Without much warning, your legs gave out from underneath you. Tears began streaming from your eyes, staining the bandages you had reapplied.

“Master! If there as anything I am able to do for you? Please allow me to help!” ARP called from the sink.

This could very well become your new life. What if you couldn't get home?

“oi, pet! get out 'ere already!” Fell called from the other side of the door.

Your shoulders shook with each silent sob, body trembling. Each arm gripped the opposite shoulder, trying to provide the comfort a hug might. You wished Malleus were in here. He'd stayed outside the door when you went in, leaving you alone.

“He is going to come in, master. I am afraid of what he will do if he realizes that you are crying. He does not seem like a kind individual.”

“oi!”

When you didn't respond this time, the door flew open. Shock spread through Fell's soul at the sight of you, the feeling soon followed by an annoyance that seemed almost trained.

“goddammit, pet. can't you at least tell a guy before you break down?” he growled, pulling you to your feet and into his chest. “won't give you this option again, okay? cry now since it's the only chance you'll get.”

Fell's phalanges combed through your hair with a gentleness you had honestly doubted he possessed. He smelled of sweat and mustard, the scent only half comforting since you much preferred ketchup.

“i'll get you back to your sans, okay, pet? i just need time. now c'mon. you can sleep on my bed.”

You allowed Fell to lead you through the house, and didn't fight at all when he pushed you onto a mattress that sat on the floor. After grumbling something about humans being too fragile, the skeleton even pulled some blankets over you. Once he was finished, Malleus jumped up and curled into your side. His leash was still on – and digging slightly into you – but he didn't seem to mind. You didn't really have the energy right now to take it off, either, so you left it for the morning.

Fell sighed as he shuffled toward the door, though the words he muttered before closing it were almost lost to your sleepy state.

“be careful, pet. someone really cares about ya.”

 

*****

 

Waking up was a bit of a shock, considering that the room you were in had no memories in your mind. Vague sounds of arguing was filtering in from downstairs, though the only noises in the room itself was yours and Malleus' breathing.

As you sat up, Malleus awoke, nuzzling his nose into your side. You went to straighten the sweatshirt, gasping in surprise when it became clear that you weren't even wearing what you had been that day.

“ARP! Are you there?!”

“I am by the pillow.”

You dived for the phone, cradling against your chest. “Are you alright? What's going on?”

“I am fine. The one known as Fell brought me here around the same time he changed your clothes.”

…

“He _what_?!”

“I attempted to stop him, but he was quite insistent. Apparently, these new clothes will help you fit in much better since they are much darker.”

“But there's no sweatshirt! _Where is Sans' sweatshirt_?!”

“There is a sweatshirt folded to the side.”

Tossing ARP back onto the pillow, you flailed about for the object. Malleus yawned audibly, hopping from his perch beside you to move about the room. Just after slipping your arms in and zipping it up, a strange smell assaulted your nose.

Sweat and mustard.

“ARP...?”

“That is Fell's sweatshirt. He stated that it would solidify the point he was trying to make the other monsters realize.”

“Where are we?”

“From what I have gathered, this is his room.”

Taking a deep breath – and nearly gagging at the smell in the room – you lifted Malleus into your arms and placed ARP into a pocket.

It was time to face the music, whatever it might bring.

The door opened with no noise, and the arguing grew much louder. Moving forward to the second floor's banister, you spread out your Soul Sight to see who exactly was fighting. It took no time at all to realize that one of them was Fell, while the other seemed like Papy's soul. Looking closer, you noticed that this Papyrus' soul had a yellow spark, much different from Papy's dark blue for integrity. It did make you feel a bit better knowing that the yellow meant justice.

“Good morning, Sans,” you called down, holding Malleus a bit closer.

“SANS! WHY IS THIS MONSTER SO NICE? AND WHY IS THERE A CANINE IN THEIR ARMS.”

Annoyance blossomed from Fell's soul, centered around your words no doubt. “get down here, pet.”

Scratching behind Malleus' ears, you carefully made your way down the stairs. “You must be Boss,” you said softly. “It's nice to meet you.”

“goddammit,” Fell snarled under his breath.

“WHAT THE FUCK, SANS? YOU'VE MESSED UP AGAIN. WHY WOULD YOU CHOOSE SUCH A KIND MONSTER AS YOUR MATE? HOW HAVE THEY EVEN SURVIVED THIS LONG? TAKE THAT SWEATSHIRT BACK AS WELL. IT IS TOO BIG FOR THEM.”

“c'mon, boss. They're really good at dodging and reading people. besides, the sweatshirt looks damn good at them.”

That first one was a lie, and there was no doubt he knew it, but you had to admit he was quite good at lying.

…

That last one hadn't been a lie. Was he _already_ attracted to you or something?

“PROVE IT.”

A frown quickly overtook your face, a sigh escaping soon after. It was too early in the morning to go digging through souls, especially when your general anxiety over the whole situation you were in was making it more difficult. With that in mind, you focused on something you had observed earlier.

“You value justice above all else. While you want to remain strong and seem powerful, you have more of a soft side. Being seen as ruthless is important, but only because it gets the outcome you want.”

In reality, most of that was complete bullshit. It was pure guesswork. Fell, while having a rather gruff exterior, was very similar to Sans. You guessed that Boss, while seeming like a asshole, was actually like Papyrus in the fact that he only wanted what was best.

Fell seemed honestly terrified you were about to die. Whether that was because of what you said or the rather embarrassed anger spreading through Boss' soul, you had no idea.

“YOU HAVE GUTS, RANDOM MONSTER. I RATHER LIKE YOU. HOWEVER, IF YOU TELL ANY OTHER MONSTER THAT, I WILL KILL YOU. YOU MAY STAY HERE IN THE MEANTIME.”

Having said his piece, Boss walked off and out of the room. If the rather loud slamming of the front door was any indication, he was gone to do his patrols.

“holy shit, pet. never thought you'd win over boss.”

“I almost thought he made a pun,” you said in response. “He would be so pissed if he knew.”

The stark layer of annoyance over Fell's soul seem to crack a bit, amusement shining through where it could. “heh. you definitely have more _guts_ than we do.”

A snort escaped you, Malleus sniffing rather loud as if he understood the joke, too. “Glad someone else enjoys puns.”

“just don't tell any around boss. he'll probably kill you right then and there.” If it wasn't for the utter seriousness that you sensed from Fell's soul, you probably wouldn't have believed him.

“So,” you muttered as you set Malleus down, hoping to change the topic, “what's on the schedule for today?”

“nothing. you're going to stay here while i sit at my station and gather magical energy.”

“Do you seriously expect me to just sit around here all day?”

“do _not_ go outside. the others wouldn't hesitate in killin' anything weaker. this isn't your home where everyone sits around and sings fucking carols together, got it?”

“Not every monster back home is some saint, you asshole,” you snarled out, turning to him and putting your hands on your hips. “Did you think I wore these bandages because I was born blind?! If you must know, I was _attacked_ by a monster!” The anger in this whole universe was starting to effect you.

It wasn't a pleasant feeling.

Surprise shattered through the annoyance in Fell's soul. “you were attacked by a monster in _that_ universe?”

A rather loud sigh escaped your throat as you sat down on the floor right where you were. “It's not all that great, Fell. You seem to think it's some sort of haven, but there's still bad.” You leaned back, lifting your gaze toward the ceiling so you couldn't see the brightness of his soul. “I mean, it's the same in this world from what I can tell. You and Boss are assholes on the outside, but you both actually seem like decent people. Just because everyone here is a jerk doesn't mean they don't have some niceness in them.”

Fell just scoffed, dragging his feet as he moved to some other part of the house. “you might be a bit too nice there, pet.”

“I practically shoved all of Boss' flaws out into the open,” you hummed in response, head tilting to the side. “I mean, I was just guessing based on what I know about Papy, but he didn't kill me. In reality, I could go out and tell that to every monster out there before he got a chance to stop me. He'd become a laughing stock, right? I'm not going to, but he's trusting me with that information.”

“there was no way you guessed all of that.”

“That may be true, but I'm still offended.” A chuckle escaped as you shook your head. “I knew the justice thing because he has a yellow Soul Spark.”

“you mentioned that thing yesterday.”

“Soul Sparks?” you questioned, tilting you head in his direction.

“yeah. you said i had a pink one.”

“Normally, I can't see a spark right away, but I think you and Boss are the exceptions since I know you sort of well because of Sans and Papy. I noticed right away that Boss has a yellow one. While I don't really know how, my brain seems capable of figuring out what each color means,” you explained, shifting around to get more comfortable. “Yellow means justice, for whatever reason. Pink gives me the feeling of dedication.”

“what about classic and your boss?” Fell asked, coming back into the room to plop down beside you. He seemed honestly curious.

“Sans has a red spark for determination, and I've actually seen it flash once. I'm not certain, but I think that means he was using that trait. Papyrus has a dark blue spark, which means integrity. It's surprisingly fitting for him since I'm pretty sure he can't lie.”

“and you can see anyone's sparks?”

You frowned a bit, raising a hand in a so-so gesture. “Only if I get to know them well enough. My dad has a green spark.”

There was a moment of pause, where Fell seemed to process your statement. “your dad's a monster?”

“Yup,” you answered simply, shrugging. “It's not really that big of a deal, but he's a really good guy.”

“think he has a counterpart here?”

A sigh escaped you lips. “Probably, though I doubt I'd get a long with them,” you answered honestly, slipping the locket out from underneath your sweatshirt. It's warm presence was oddly calming. “He worked really hard to do good things, though he rarely talked.”

“that something of his?”

“Yeah, he gave it to me yesterday since it was starting to get colder. He imbued it with his fire magic.”

Confusion flashed from Fell's soul. “don't tell me that your dad is grillby.”

You raised an eyebrow, turning your gaze to him. “How'd you know?”

“ _fuck_. of _fucking_ _course_ it had to be him. listen, whatever you do, don't tell anyone that the locket has fire magic. the only monster capable of doing that in this area is grillby, and he'd have you brought in if anyone realized what it was.”

“Have me brought in?”

“all weaker monsters pay a small fee to keep the grillby here from attacking them and their homes.”

Ice flashed through your veins, the locket tumbling from your grasp. “He _what_? I can't imagine dad doing that!”

Fell gave a rather sharp bark of laughter, the noise devoid of any real amusement. “get used to it, pet. he _isn't_ your dad, got it?”

You pulled your knees to your chest, feeling the same, familiar sense of dread start to spread through you. “This world is so different. Every moment I spend here just feels more stifled that the last.”

“welcome to the underground, pet.”

 


	10. So Close, Yet So Far

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would have had this posted much earlier but Archive was down.
> 
> Oh well. Enjoy it now.
> 
> The next few chapters might take a little longer since I'll be writing the Reader's experiences in AU's that I might need to research. I only had one other AU written, so I'll be free writing these! I hope you guys don't mind the slight slowing down of chapters! :)
> 
> EDIT: I made a mistake on the WingDings, so I went back and fixed it. Sorry!

As it happened, Fell did end up leaving you alone in the house. While you did have Malleus, it wasn't like you could strike up a conversation with the animal. Occasionally, souls would walk by the front of the house. With nothing else to really do, you dug into each one to try and figure out what they were thinking.

It was a red soul that garnered your attention as it passed by. The owner was clearly a monster, but the color of the soul – plus the feeling you were getting from it – suggested that it had to be Mettaton. Unfortunately, you figured that this Mettaton was not nearly as nice as the one you had grown to know back home.

Also, even more unfortunately, you would get the chance to find out.

The front door was practically kicked down by the robot, his soul flashing with magical energies. “Hello, gentlebeauties! My _darling_ Alphys has sent me to deliver a message!”

Each hand stumbled over the other in their efforts to get your hood all of the way on. Malleus nuzzled into your side, though you could hear a soft growl escaping his throat.

“Hm?” the robotic voice hummed, the owner's soul approaching. “You aren't one of my _beauties_ , are you? Who might you be, _dearest_?”

Every title he said seemed to be dripping with some strange form of aggression that you couldn't quite place. Besides, the feeling of murder coming straight from his soul was a bit disheartening.

“I-I'm dating Sans,” you stuttered out, feeling a tinge at the sort-of lie. While you were dating _a_ Sans – probably, anyway – it wasn't the one this Mettaton would be thinking of.

“Oh? That lazy little shit went out and got a mate?” the robot purred, stopping before you and leaning closer. “You must be something special for him to make an actual effort, huh?”

“I..., uh....” None of the words and sentences you were forming in your mind seemed capable of getting out, and the malice drifting in from the monster's soul was only making it worse.

Seeming to sense the problem, Mettaton stood up straight again. “Why don't we take this conversation somewhere a bit more comfortable, my little darling?” he hummed, turning away.

Before you could react, two arms gripped yours, another set of two lifting you by your waist. A squeak of surprise escaped you as Malleus started barking wildly. Mettaton ignored any of yours and the pup's protests as he left the house you'd hesitantly promised to stay in and into the cold of Snowdin.

There was a lot of curiosity coming from the souls that were outside, directed at both your situation and the dog following at Mettaton's heels. You also sensed quite a bit of pity from those that seemed to believe the robot was going to kill you. Or maybe that was jealousy. It was hard to tell.

“We're here, darling! I hope you're hungry!” he purred, pushing open a door and entering some sort of building.

Despite the obvious hostility, the room was vaguely familiar.

“Good afternoon, Grillby!”

_Oh no._

“Could I get a drink for my friend here?” Mettaton asked, setting you down on a stool.

_You needed to leave now._

“Now, now, beauty. There's no need for the glare!”

You _couldn't_ even glare at him! Malleus pawed at your legs, prompting you to pick him up and set him in your lap. There had to be a way to get Fell in order to get out of here. If he was anything like your Sans, then he was probably too busy goofing off to check up on you. There was no way Mettaton breaking in and kidnapping you was on his radar.

Grillby's soul approached, and you started in surprise at seeing a familiar green spark. What were the odds that he would have the same main trait as your dad? Considering that no one else so far shared the sentiment, this was quite the discovery. For some reason or another, your adoptive father and this Grillby shared the same spark.

The shattering of a glass drew your attention forward. Confusion and shock was coming from the fire elemental's soul, everyone else in the room preparing to flee. After a moment of silence, a warm hand gripped your shoulder, dragging you from your seat. Malleus tumbled to the floor, whimpering softly.

A door slammed open and close before the man said, “where did you get that locket?”

 _Fuck_ , you inwardly cursed, flinching away from him. You'd been so busy worrying about Mettaton's appearance that the locket was still above your sweatshirt.

“M-my adoptive dad made it for me,” you replied honestly, wishing Malleus had been quick enough to follow you in... wherever you were.

“Who is your father?” he asked, gripping your shoulders a bit tighter.

The moment your cried out in pain, all of the pressure was gone. You took a few steps back, raising both arms to hug yourself. There was honest regret coming from the fire monster, but he seemed unsure of how to deal with it.

“Was he a fire elemental?” he finally asked, voice softer this time.

You just nodded, eying his emotions carefully. There was no trace of anger. If anything, the green Soul Spark was shimmering brighter than before. From what you'd heard from Fell, you'd expected this Grillby to be a grade A asshole. Underneath whatever exterior he seemed to have created to survive in this strange world, he was the same man that was your dad.

“What happened to him?”

The question was genuine, but you had to lie since you couldn't exactly tell this man that your father was in a different dimension. “He's gone,” you decided on. Technically speaking, it was the truth. There was no way to just go out and find him, anyway.

A strange sadness seemed to flow from the man's soul. “I... see. Many of the fire elementals have been passing away recently. They are often viewed as easy targets, though I'm sure you know that.”

“Water.”

He gave a hum of agreement, leaning back and sighing. “What brings the child of a fire elemental to Snowdin?”

Figuring that vague honesty was the best policy, you answered, “Sans is taking care of me.”

“Is he actually?” Grillby snarled back, the mere mention of the skeleton's name sending anger throughout his soul.

“Y-yeah. I'm not a very good fighter, but he's kept me out of trouble.”

Grillby didn't seem surprised by that information at all. “My family has been known to take in weaker monsters. However, they tend to do so only if they had a special trait. What is your magic?”

It took a moment for you to realize why he was practically interrogating you. The man must have considered that you had _killed_ a fire elemental in order to steal their locket. You should just be happy that it wasn't his first conclusion.

“I can read underlying emotions, thoughts, motives, magic strength, and a few more things,” you admitted. While it wasn't the full truth, you were only retaining the Soul Sight part.

“Amazing,” Grillby hummed. “That must be a highly sought after trait. It is impressive that an elemental was able to take you in before another realized your abilities. Your skill is safe with me child.”

“Thank you very much, but I, um, should probably get going. Mettaton sort of dragged Malleus and I from the house.”

“Malleus?”

“The dog that was with me.”

Grillby nodded thoughtfully. “I shall inform everyone that you are under my protection now, as my own child. No one would dare harm you, but make sure that you wear that locket where everyone can see it, understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

A pleased feeling spread throughout his soul at both your simply acceptance and the title. “I shall have a word with Mettaton, and then have him escort you to Sans' sentry post before having him spread the word. He does enjoy his gossip.”

“Thank you.”

“Anything for family, child. Though please keep this side of me a secret. In order to keep my business running the way it does, my image must remain intact.” Grillby placed a hand on the small of your back, leading you from the room and back out onto the bar.

Every monster seemed surprised that you'd returned at all.

He took Mettaton into the back for awhile, the monster emerging rather shaken and confused. After handing you a bag, whispering that it was some lunch for you, Sans, and Malleus, Grillby set you on your way. The walk was fairly silent, with Mettaton seeming almost afraid to talk to you, though all of the souls you both passed seemed interested.

You were able to sense Fell's soul long before actually arriving at his sentry station. He was clearly focused on something, though you couldn't quite tell what it was. Once you were in what you assumed was viewing distance, Mettaton muttered something about having another job to do – no doubt spreading Grillby's rumor – before making a break for it.

With no other option, you hugged the bag of food a little closer, checked to make sure Malleus was still beside you, and walked over. “I brought lunch,” you called, grunting when you actually ran into the side of his sentry post. “Ow, what the hell?”

Sans jumped, red magic starting to shine in his soul before he realized it was you. “what the _fuck_ , pet?!”

You just raised an eyebrow, setting the bag down on the surface before you. “I brought lunch. Thought I already said that.”

“enough with the fucking sarcasm. what are you _doing_ here?”

“It's a long story.”

“shorten it.”

You shrugged, plopping down beside the station and lifting your gaze to his direction. “Mettaton broke into your house because a, um..., Alphys..., I think? This Alphys wanted him to deliver a message, but I was there instead of you guys. He dragged me off to Grillby's to question me, but-?”

“you met grillby?”

The abject fear coming from Fell made you sit up straight, casting him a strange glance. “Yeah, why?”

“are you all right?”

“He essentially adopted me,” you replied, ignoring the immediate surprise. “He's having Mettaton spread around that I'm under his protection now.”

“holy shit, pet. how'd you even manage that?”

“He saw the amulet,” you admitted with a small shrug, pausing to make sure Malleus was still nearby before adding, “I told him that I was the adopted kid of a fire elemental and that my father was gone.”

“clever.”

“I thought so, at least. Anyway, since their usually super picky about who they adopt, he figured I was pretty useful and decided that I should be protected.”

Fell released a breath, letting it whistle though his teeth. “damn, pet. you've got one hell of a silver tongue.”

“Can we just eat lunch?”

“what'd you bring?”

“Grillby gave something to me for you, me, and Malleus.”

“sweet. he makes the best food, but always overcharges me.”

“Probably because you drink all of his ketchup.”

“that sounds nasty. who the fuck drinks ketchup? gotta go for the mustard.”

That explained the smell of the sweatshirt.

…

“Where's Sans' sweatshirt?”

A strange flash appeared from the skeleton's soul, and it took you a moment to peg it as _jealousy_ of all things. “it's too bright for you to fit in down here. Gotta wear darker things like my sweatshirt.”

“First of all, you didn't answer my question. Secondly, if you're anything like my Sans, then there is no way you'd easily give it up.”

“shut your mouth and eat some fucking lunch, pet.”

Whelp. Maybe you could try again later.

 

*****

 

When you finished eating, Fell put you on soul watch so he could focus on gathering more energy. It was actually pretty interesting to watch the magic in the air solidify into something you could easily see, so, while you _were_ keeping your sensors out, your gaze was locked onto the magic.

It danced and weaved through the air around Fell before joining the huge ball of energy floating above his skull. Each strand seemed to have a mind of its own. If you reached a hand out, the magic would avoid your touch. A part of you wondered what it would be like to control this magic. You could only imagine the beautiful patterns you could create.

An approaching soul launched you from your thoughts. “Malleus, come here!” The pup did as asked, landing in your lap and barking to alert Fell. “Good afternoon, Boss,” you hummed, smiling softly at him.

The larger skeleton just scoffed. “SANS! ARE YOU AWARE THAT YOUR MATE WAS CLAIMED BY GRILLBY AS HIS CHILD?”

“what about it?”

“DID YOU NOT CONSIDER THAT IMPORTANT INFORMATION?”

“no.”

You stood up from your spot, carrying Malleus in your arms as you walked away. It was probably best to just let them fight it out. Their yelling was annoying, too, so you didn't really _want_ to be next to either of them during an argument. Besides, there was a strange amalgamation of magic off into the forest. It was getting stronger by the second, and it didn't take long for you to realize that there were souls on the other side of it.

Feeling fear clench your soul, you spun on your heel and took off. “Sans!”

If the sudden surprise and worry that came from the skeleton was any indication, he could see the magic congregating, too. “pet! get over here, _now_!”

You had no trouble following that particular order, skidding to a stop just beside his soul. In just a couple seconds, both Fell and Boss had moved to stand in front of you, effectively blocking off any attacks that might come from whoever those souls belonged to.

The last think you were expecting was one very specific voice and soul. “kid!”

Both eyes shot up to study whoever had come through the magic, and you felt confusion and relief simultaneously entrap you. Three souls had come through, all of them registering as a Sans with a different Soul Spark. One of them was your Sans, his determination shining through brighter than ever. The other two were ones you didn't recognize.

Oddly enough, you weren't quite sure that the other two Sans actually had souls. All you could get off of one of them was something akin to creativity, while the other gave off the unmistakable vibe of life and happiness. Those... seemed to be his only real surface traits, actually.

“Is that them?” the one embodying happiness asked, voice high pitched and full of hope.

“kid! are you all right?!”

“I'm guessing we've found them,” the third Sans responded, giving a small sigh of relief. “Thank goodness. I was worried Error had done something awful.”

When you moved to push past the two you were with, gloved arms reached out and lifted you into the air. A squeak of surprise escaped you, the three Sanses immediately gathering their own magic.

“SANS, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? YOUR MATE IS TRYING TO RUN TO SOME MONSTERS WHO ARE TRYING TO IMPERSONATE YOU! WHY ARE YOU JUST STANDING THERE?! MUST I DO EVERYTHING FOR YOU?”

“mate?” you heard your Sans question, anger blossoming in his soul.

“fuck,” Fell grumbled, getting more and more nervous by the second.

“Boss?”

“YES, STRANGE MONSTER?”

“What does a skeleton tile his roof with?” you asked, earning confused thoughts all around you.

“SNOW PROOF ROOF TILES, OF COURSE.”

“ _Shin_ gles, silly!” you forced out, voice sounding much less amused than it normally should have.

“OH MY GOD!”

Just as you guessed, Boss immediately dropped you, Malleus taking the opportunity to wiggle his way into your jacket. Fell was by your side before a second even passed, helping you back to your feet.

“you okay, pet?”

Your Sans bristled at the nickname, but you just smiled down at the skeleton. “I'm fine. Thanks, Fell.”

“Wait, you mean that they're helping you?” the Sans with only creativity asked, sounding honestly surprised.

“Fell's been nothing but helpful,” you answered, turning your gaze to them. “In fact, he was gathering energy to help me get in touch with someone who could get me home.”

Boss, who had been bristling at your joke moments before, was just getting more and more confused as your conversation continued.

“then let's go,” your Sans immediately said, starting to inch closer. “it's not safe for you here.”

You opened your mouth to respond when a shiver when down your spine, forcing your attention behind you. An empty heart-shaped _aura_ – for lack of a better term – drenched in black was hovering near the forest edge, malice coating his entire being. The feeling you got off of it was remarkably similar to Sans'... but.... This wasn't a good Sans. You'd felt this soul once before.

When you were dragged into Underfell.

Familiar magic strings shot out from where the strange monster was standing. You got ready to jump out of the way when you realized that they were heading in a different direction.

“Boss!” you yelled out, pushing him to the side. An immediate choking feeling clasped around your chest, and it took no time at all to realize that the strings had grabbed you once again.

“S-STRANGE MONSTER?” Boss stuttered out, his soul swirling with so many emotions you couldn't place a single one.

“let them go, error!” Fell called, jumping forward to grab you.

The strings pulled you like a ragdoll, dragging you behind them. “Now, now, everyone. You should calm down,” Error purred, voice glitching out as he spoke. “It's their fault for getting in the way. I wasn't trying to get them _this_ time.”

“We won't keep letting you destroy the Alternate Universes, Error!” the creative Sans yelled, determination passing through him.

“Come now, Ink,” the skeleton holding you replied with a dry chuckle. “You should know better than to try and fight me. At least, you should know better that to try while I have an innocent.”

The strings around what you assumed must have been your soul tightened, causing you to cry out in pain. It was starting to get hard to see everyone's souls, and even harder to figure out what was yours and what was Gaster's.

 **“000 000000! 000 00 00 00, 000 000000!”** you snarled out, not even realizing how you'd said it. _God dammit! Let go of me, you fucker!_

Every Sans in the area froze, full attention turning to you.

“How interesting,” Error purred, pulling you closer to him. “Now when did you get in touch with a Gaster?”

You narrowed your eyes in his direction, spitting at him the best you could. If the disgust in his soul was any indication, you'd succeeded. **“0000 00 000, 0000000.”** _Burn in hell, asshole._

“just let them go, error!” your Sans yelled out despite the clear confusion brewing in his soul.

“Sorry, Classic,” Error hummed, maneuvering you behind him. “I'm thinking I might like a new puppet.”

_“Listen carefully, child.”_

**“000000?”** you gasped out, breaths starting to get heavy. _Gaster?_

Every Sans became silent again, confusion and concern coloring all of the their souls – existent or otherwise.

_“Can't talk long. The multiverse portal is helping me to reach you. Access my soul and use my magic.”_

**“0000? 000 000 0000 00 0 0000 00 0000?!”** you growled, ignoring the fact that Error was starting to get annoyed. _What? How the hell do I even do that?!_

_“Focus on my soul and imagine what I have dubbed the Gaster Blaster. I tr-st yo-, h-man.”_

“Enough of this,” Error snarled, turning his attention back to the others. “I'll be bringing this human with me as a hostage. I expect you to leave me alone.”

There was a flash of magic behind you, likely Error getting ready to jump dimensions again. Feeling fear start to freeze your veins, you brought your attention to your own soul. After digging around for a bit, you found one of Gaster's Soul Shards.

“Don't even think about it, Error!” Ink yelled out, multicolored magic beginning to surround him. “Dream, Classic, and I _will_ stop you! We have Fell here now, too!”

There was no mention of a Gaster Blaster in that Soul Shard, so, almost groaning in annoyance, you dug around for another one.

“We'll protect all of the universes!” Dream added, his magic gathering as a bright, white light. “Including their inhabitants.”

No luck in that shard, either.

“i won't let you get away with hurting the kid.”

Found it!

 **“0'0 0000 000000 0000 00000!”** _I'm just hoping this works!_

Dark colored magic swirled around you, forming into something that seemed a bit more solid. Gasps of confusion and surprised sounded at the 'Gaster Blaster'.

“k-kid? where'd you get that?!”

 **“0000 00, 000000!”** you screamed, focusing all of your energy on the magic in front of you. _Help me, please!_

A beam of magic appeared from whatever you had created, sending Error flying. His strings tugged at your soul before releasing you, likely going toward helping himself first. You flew through the magic that Error had formed earlier, feeling an uncomfortably familiar feeling.

“shit! pet!”

“kid!”

The magic disappeared with a loud _crack_ , cutting off any response that might have been given.

 


	11. Dust in the Wind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> College... Finals... Essays... Projects... UGH
> 
> LISTEN TO BE COMPLAIN
> 
> Nah. Don't do that. Read this shorter than it should be because COLLEGE chapter!
> 
> (I'm sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes. My concussion isn't quite gone yet, so I tend not to notice or remember mistakes)

You slammed through a stack of boxes, your own pained shout combining with the sharp whines of Malleus. A part you suddenly felt awful that the dog had been in the borrowed sweatshirt. If he had been left behind, than your Sans – Classic, you decided since it was easier – could have taken care of him.

“Ow,” you groaned, forcing yourself to stand and taking ARP out. “Where are we?”

“I would suggest that you lift your arms into the air and remain silent unless spoken to,” the AI replied, voice seeming quieter than usual. Was he scared?

A gasp escaped you as your Soul Sight picked up two souls. They must be this new dimension's Papyrus and Sans, but why were you being told to act like you were surrendering.

“SANS? WHY IS THERE A HUMAN IN OUR WAREHOUSE?”

“dunno. should we go ask the kid?”

There was a hum of approval from Papyrus' soul. “I SHALL GO GET THEM AND GASTER!”

As the taller of the skeletons ran off, a bright blue light lifted you up and pulled you right up next to Sans. “hey there, kid. what's a human from underfell doing in undermafia?”

“I'm not from Underfell,” you grumbled, shivering from the feeling of being restricted by his magic. “I'm originally from Undertale!”

Honest surprise flooded from the monster's soul. “you know about the dimensions? are you frisk?”

“The savior of the humans? No.”

“huh. know why you're here, then?” he asked, lowering you back to the ground and catching you as he released his magic.

A soft sigh escaped you as you nodded. “Unfortunately, yes. Someone named Error has apparently been going after me.”

Sans chuckled. “well, i'll shoot him if he tried to touch anyone here. or paps will.”

“Did you just say shoot!?”

“BROTHER!” Papyrus called out, effectively ending the conversation. “I HAVE BROUGHT MY FRIEND!”

You turned your gaze to the side, only a little surprised to see a bright red soul fluttering nearby. Beside them was an even more familiar white soul that you pegged as Gaster.

Did he never go into the void here?

“I see the human here, but I hadn't quite believed you,” Gaster hummed. “My question is how they ended up in here, let alone without us noticing.”

Sans stepped between you and the others, and you noticed a similar flare of protectiveness. “apparently, they were bein' chased by some of the dreemurs. dunno how they got shortcut-ed here, but here they are.”

“CHASED BY THE DREEMURS? ARE THEY ALL RIGHT?”

“They do not look like they were being attacked, let alone chased,” Gaster hummed, taking a few steps closer.

As nervousness started to bloom from Sans' soul, a bright idea crossed your mind. “I-I've been r-running for a little while now,” you mumbled, trying to make your voice sound as scared as possible. “I'm p-pretty good at dodging, but I've g-got a few s-scars.” Hesitating only a bit, you lowered the hood of the sweatshirt to reveal the scars.

“holy shit.”

The bright red soul immediately bounded up to you, tugging on one of your arms. As you lowered to a crouch, the girl grabbed a hand and traced some words onto it.

_“How hurt are you?”_

“Oh. Well, I'm j-just really t-tired. It's t-too late for my eyes.”

Sadness burst force from every soul nearby, including Gaster. It was actually that skeleton that came forward and placed a comforting hand on your shoulder.

“We should call Toriel to take a look. Well I would hate to make her take the long trip out here, she might be able to help.”

You managed a small smile. “T-thank y-you.” As you went to stand again, a sharp whine shocking you and and your companions. “Oh my god, Malleus!”

Without hesitating at all, you opened the sweatshirt and pulled Malleus out of his hiding place inside. The small dog whined in pain, pawing at your hand as he was set onto the ground.

“Did you get hurt from the fall?! Oh no, oh no, oh no!”

“Human!”

You started, raising your gaze to Gaster's soul. “S-sorry, I j-just... Malleus is all I-I really h-have.” Since you were being dragged and tossed through the dimensions, your only constants were Malleus and ARP. You couldn't really tell him that... but you still had it haunting you.

What if you never got home?

Determination flashed from Frisk's soul, and, based on the resulting silence in the room, you assumed that they were signing something to the others. A soft happiness flowed from Sans and Papyrus, while Gaster audibly chuckled.

“As you wish, boss.” The tallest skeleton knelt beside you, lowering his voice to sound as calming as possible. “Listen to me, human. Papyrus will take the dog – Malleus, you said – and bandage him up. Toriel can heal him when she comes tomorrow, so we'll keep him okay until then. Will you let him?”

You nodded, sniffling as you did so. “Please help him. I don't care what happens to me, but please keep Malleus safe.”

Papyrus approached slowly, making sure that you were okay with every step he took. He gave you a comforting pat on the shoulder before lifting Malleus into his arms and bounding away. Tears began wetting the front of your bandage at the thought of losing the small pup.

Sans had bought him partly because he was going to die if you didn't adopt him. What if he died _because_ you adopted him?!

“maybe i should take the kid to a room. they'll need some rest.”

Frisk walked over to Gaster, grabbing one of his hands and pulling his away.

“Of course, boss. Please take care of it Sans.”

“a' course.”

As the other two left, you were alone with this world's Sans. You merely brought your knees up to your chest, burying your face in them. During the short time you had been here, you had been separated from Malleus and – apparently – had guns pointed at you by Sans and _Papyrus._ That second one shocked you a lot more than the first.

Magic surrounded you for a second, lifting you into surprisingly strong arms. “alright, kid. i've got plenty to ask ya about, but you should sleep for now. i can ask you in the morning.”

“Thanks.”

The skeleton chuckled, not noticing you start to drift off. “don't worry about it.”

 

*****

 

The bed you woke up on this time was much nicer than Fell's. Everything smelled clean and recently washed, not to mention soft. It was the perfect place to look over everything that had happened recently. Then again, everything was pretty self explanatory. Most of your questions were around where you were and what was going to happen.

And when Error would show up again.

“ARP? Are you there?”

“I am over here,” he called, drawing your attention to right beside your pillow. “This Sans removed the sweatshirt, likely because it seemed to smell awful, and I asked that he leave me here. I answered a few of his questions, including the ones regarding where we are from and what led to our arriving here.”

“Makes my job easier, I guess.”

“That was point,” ARP replied with a small chuckle. “As for now, however, there is a bathroom attached to this room and Frisk apparently ordered the skeletons to retrieve some clothes for you, so they are here as well.”

A sigh of relief escaped as you slipped ARP into the pockets of your pants – camera facing out so he could direct you – and grabbed the clothes left out for you. After using ARP to locate the different types of soaps, you climbed into the shower and washed yourself the best you could. It was nice to have something physical that felt like it could wash away the malice you'd felt in the last dimension.

Being nice and clean again was even nicer than you had originally imagined, and you were happy to get into clean clothes. Well, mostly happy.

The new outfit was a _suit_.

“What the hell?”

“It matches what they wear.”

“What?”

ARP sighed lightly. “They are all wearing suits.”

“And guns,” you mumbled, hands pausing over a _gun holster_ that, based on the shape, would go around your chest. “I'm not wearing that.”

“I would not risk offending them.”

A loud groan escaped you as you pulled the _whole_ outfit on. It was a little strange since ARP had to keep instructing you one what went where and how to put each individual piece. Once fully dressed, you slipped ARP into the jacket breast pocket so he could keep directing you.

With the resulting silence, you slipped the gun from the holster. Its weight was quite a bit heavier than you imagined from all of those crime shows you saw on television. It didn't take long, however, to locate all of the important parts.

“ARP, is the safety on?”

“No.”

Clicking on the safety, you returned the weapon to its home and made your way back into the bedroom. Your Soul Sight picked up Sans before opening the door, so you gave him a greeting.

“that phone a' yours wasn't kidding. pretty cool skill you have there.”

“Thanks, it was sort of an accident,” you replied, maneuvering to sit beside him on the bed. “What happened to that sweatshirt? Fell's gonna kill me if I don't get it back to him.”

“i can give it back to 'im after my dad and i call ink.”

At that, you turned to him in surprise. “Your dad? Gaster knows about the dimensions?”

“you honestly think I could have kept _that_ from him?”

“Fair enough,” you replied with a small smirk. “By the way, mind telling me where I am?”

“heh heh. welcome to undermafia, kid.”

“That explains the guns,” came your immediate grumble, followed by an eye roll. “Speaking of guns, mind explaining to me why _I have one_?”

More chuckled escaped the monster. “dad insisted. it's best to be ready for anything. i've got a pistol, paps has a rifle, and dad uses dual magnums.”

“This world seems just as dangerous as the last,” ARP grumbled. “We should leave as soon as possible.”

You snorted loudly, shaking your head. “Not like I have much of a choice, ARP. You're just gonna have to wait it out. Buck up, buddy.”

Sans yawned, standing from the bed and going over to the door. “i was put in charge of ya while you're here, kid, so you're gonna have to come with me.”

“Go with you?”

“i've got to go on a collection run today. it's pretty safe, and it should be quick. we'll be back before tori even gets here.”

You raised an eyebrow, standing from your spot on the bed and stretching. “Alright. I'm interested in this world anyway.”

“you're a positive one, aren'tcha?”

 

*****

 

This Sans, just like every other one you had met, was quite the gentleman beneath his rather rough exterior. He led you by the arm, seeming oddly relaxed considering how on edge his soul was. The first few stops, nothing of interest really happened aside from realization that Sans could be _terrifying_. A brief image of Fell with a gun crossed your mind, and you instantly tossed it out as maniacal laughter filled your mind.

Now _that_ was scary.

According to him, your bandages made you look more terrifying since you were traveling with him. Apparently, no one underestimated the skeleton family or their companions anymore, and that included you for the time being. It was all sort of confusing to you, but the one thing you were able to gather for sure was that he was using your Soul Sight ability to check for any possible attackers while you were walking or for ambushers at the locations.

You didn't really mind doing that. Knowing these sorts of things ahead of time meant that less people could get injured. Besides, there had yet to be a situation where anyone had gotten majorly hurt. You were sure that Sans had left a bruise or two, but those healed.

“we're coming up on the next location, kid. finding anything bad?”

Slowing to a halt, you spread out your Soul Sight again. From what you could tell, the only thing within fifty feet was terrified or nervous of the two of you. You relayed the information to Sans, who gave a soft sigh of relief.

“good. now i want you to stay by the door this time. this guy can be pretty handsy.”

“If you say so. I'll stick back and let you know if I sense anything,” you replied, giving a quick shrug.

The door to wherever you were headed creaked loudly as it opened, and you wondered how long it would be before it completely fell off its hinges. Sans positioned you by a wall just beside the door before walking toward a group of four monsters souls. Their was a layer of calm over an emotion that you had an honestly hard time placing.

As you tried to focus on those emotions, another soul entered your view. This one was higher up, though their level of focus was incredible. Trying to focus on the group of four plus this new one was stretching your sight way too far, so you focused on one at a time starting with the monster talking to Sans.

Around the times negations were going sour, you made it to the last soul that as still hanging above. The sudden malice that was dripping from him sent spikes of pain straight through your head. Seconds later, that same malice was dripping from the others.

“fuck! kid, get outta here!”

You shivered, doing your best to force as much of the malice away as you could. “ARP? What's going on?”

As quietly as he could to avoid being detected, the phone replied, “they appear to have pulled guns on him. One in the rafters seems to have a rifle.”

“W-what do I do?”

“Sans can not fight back due to the one in the rafters. You will need to do what he says or somehow stop the sniper.”

A chill went down your spine as more malice encroached upon it. “I can't just leave Sans alone!” you hissed back.

“Then stop the sniper.”

Sans' soul was actually starting to get nervous as he tried to talk the men down, morbid jokes escaping him.

“How would I-?!” you cut yourself off, the memory of getting dressed that morning flashing through your mind. There _was_ technically one option available to you, even if the idea was terrifying. But you would have to do it right if you wanted to actually help. Relying on your instincts would probably be best.

“ _fucking run, kid_!”

Taking a deep breath, you reached into your suit jacket and pulled out the gun Gaster had gotten for you. Within moments, you pointed it toward the malice filled soul and pulled the trigger. All attention turned toward you, shock and terror filling their souls as the man above started to fall. The essence of his soul – the thing that allowed you to see exact body movements – began retracting to where the soul with his red-orange Soul Spark – audacity – was resting. The sound of shattering glass filled your ears, and cracks began appearing along the soul along with the noise.

As the last of the essence reached his soul, it shattered.

“Holy shit! That human hit 'im right between the eyes! Let's get the _fuck_ outta here!”

The gun fell from your grasp, slamming onto the concrete floor with a loud _clang_. Sans inched his way toward you as cautiously as possible, making sure to grab the gun and put it back into your holster. For a moment, he just stood in front of you.

“i couldn't do a thing 'cause a' that sniper. i was careless. you saved my life, kid.”

“I killed him.”

“and saved me,” Sans shot back, grabbing one of your arms and leading your from the building. “listen, kid, having more a little more lv can't be that bad.”

“LV? What's LV?”

The monster seemed honestly surprised by your lack of knowledge. “love? level of violence?” A sigh escaped him at your lack of response. “never thought i'd have to explain this to a grown human. when someone kills another creature, they get exp, or, as we call them, execution points. the more execution points you get, the more love you get.”

“A-and now I have EXP?” you asked, a slight tremble in your voice as you considered the implications.

“yeah. i, uh, checked on your level of violence when you got here, and it was, oddly enough, at zero. no love should be able to _be_ zero since we're all born at one. when i checked just now, it was still at zero, but your exp suggests it should be around five.” A loud door creaked open, and Sans practically pushed you inside. “gaster! paps!”

You allowed your shaking knees to finally give out, tears streaming from your eyes and staining the bandages. Only a small part of you was aware of when Gaster and Papyrus entered. For the most part, your panic was making your Soul Sight start to fail.

“What is going on? Has something happened to the human?!”

Something soft barreled into you, immediately licking any skin it could reach. “M-Malleus?” you mumbled, pulling the small creature into your arms. “Oh, thank god.”

Papyrus and Gaster both made their way to you, worry clear in what little you could feel from their souls. Frisk bounded over, joining Malleus in your arms as they snuggled you to the best of their ability. Another soul approached as well, though this one knelt before you.

“Hello, my child. Please tell us what is wrong. If you were injured in any way, perhaps I may be able to help.”

You merely shook your head, a sob escaping you.

“Sans?” the woman before you growled, turning her attention to the skeleton. “Was it not your job to protect the human?!”

“no one hurt them, tori.”

“Then why are they like this?!”

“they shot someone to protect _me_. hit a sniper in the rafters with the handgun gaster got them.”

“In the rafters?” Gaster hummed. “Quite the sharp shot. Why would you be upset about that?”

“they killed 'im.”

“I AM ALSO AT A BIT OF A LOSS HERE.”

“they've never killed anyone before.”

Everyone gasped, horror flashing across their souls as their attention turned back to you. Malleus whined softly as he increased his licking, and Frisk hugged you closer.

“There was so much malice coming off of his soul,” you mumbled, not noticing the confusion flash across all but Sans. “He wouldn't have hesitated to shoot Sans if anything went wrong. There was no pause in that intent, I could tell. I didn't know what to do..., so I let his malice infect my own soul and tried to shoot at him. I thought that... maybe it would create enough of a distraction. I thought that it would give Sans an opening.” Another sob broke through as you cried, “I didn't mean to kill him!”

 


	12. Off We Go Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapters because FINALS...
> 
> Someone kill me .-.
> 
> Also, I made a Tumblr! THat's the link below, but I'll hyperlink it in the story (since I don't know how to do that here. whoops).
> 
> http://princesscipherite.tumblr.com/

FIND ME ON TUMBLR [HERE](http://princesscipherite.tumblr.com/)

The only thing that ended up snapping you from your shock and sadness was the sudden appearance of a large amount magic in the immediate area. You sniffled a few times, raising your gaze to the source of the pressure forming in your skull. As a dark aura around an empty space that lacked a soul appeared, you squeaked in horror.

“Error!” you shouted out, feeling the adrenaline start to flow through your veins and force the shock away.

Another monster whose soul you recognized as a Sans jumped through after the other creature, tackling Error to the ground. Those from the Undermafia world formed ranks around you and Frisk, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

“Get away from me, you fucking abomination!” Error yelled, his strings flying out to wrap around the new Sans' soul.

The monster jumped out of the way, its essence giving it a rather strange outline. “do not take me for a fool, error. i may not be stronger than you, but it was nothing to chase you from my home. i have not seen the human you seek, but i will not allow you to hurt them.”

Pulling Malleus closer to your chest, you stood. A few of the souls around you flashed with confusion and a little bit of concern, but were otherwise focused on Error and the newcomer.

“Error!” you yelled, every soul turning to you in shock.

“Oh,” the skeleton hummed, amusement rolling off of him. “So you were here. How lucky of me. I figured I would have felt you die if you ended up here. I should have known better.”

Before you had a real chance to respond, the new monsters lunged forward and forced you onto what felt like its... back... before hopping away from those from the Undermafia world. “hold onto me. that creature is much too focused on you to do any damage to this world if we leave.”

“U-uh..., okay?!”

“THAT NEW CREATURE IS TAKING OFF WITH THE HUMAN!”

You hugged Malleus closer to your body with one arm, using the other to grab this new Sans' jacket. Whatever the case was, he seemed to know a lot about Error and his intentions. Besides, it wasn't like you had any other choice. If you stayed here, Error would probably hurt the Undermafia universe, just like he had tried to hurt Boss.

You _had_ to trust the new Sans.

As that thought crossed your mind, the monster you were now riding bounded right past Error and into the magic portal that had brought them into this universe. A familiar, uneasy feeling settled in your stomach as Malleus whined.

The jolt of Sans' feet hitting the ground made you groan in pain, but he did his best to keep you on his back. “damn it! this isn't my home. error's portals never work correctly. human, are you all right to hold on? i need to get us somewhere safe to talk.”

You only managed a shake of your head as the adrenaline started to wear off and the world fell to black.

 

*****

 

When you later came to, you felt a warmth that reminded you a little bit of Grillby. After a moment of contemplation, you decided that it had to be an actual fire since it didn't give off a soul energy. In fact, the only thing giving off an energy nearby was a glowing white soul complete with a spark you recognized from your old manager, Florin – patience.

The moment you shifted, Sans stood and made his way closer. “my apologies, human. i should have considered your situation more, but we are safe in this inlet.”

“Thanks, Sans, but where are we? Is this your universe?”

A snort of amusement escaped the monster. “error must have been bothering you for quite a while if you are so calm in this situation. no, this is not my dimension. if it were, we would be in my home and not in some inlet between snowdin and waterfall.”

“What universe are you from?”

“call me beast, since that is where i live.”

You struggled into a sitting position, smiling softly when Malleus curled into your lap. After a quick check, you were able to get a read on your current situation some. ARP was still firmly in your front pocket, though you noted that he still retained the 'quiet when others were around' training that was vaguely annoying. The gun from before was clicked into its holster, safety on, meaning that you had it in case there was another... emergency.

“your phone explained your sight problem and ability to me while you were sleeping.”

“Of course he did,” you grumbled, poking a finger at the AI.

“It is my job to help you, and I deemed that important for future aid. And stop that. My purpose is not as a stress ball.”

Giving ARP another poke, you turned your attention back to Beast. “Did you happen to find out where we were?”

“unfortunately, yes,” the monster replied, his tail wrapping around your torso.

You noted from his soul that it seemed to be a subconscious reaction to your presence and proximity. Seriously, were you some kind of Sans attractor?

“we appear to be in the realm of horrortale.”

The name itself sent a shiver down your spine, and you raised a hand to dig Grillby's pendant out from underneath your button-up shirt.

Your blood ran cold.

“Oh my god.”

Beast was immediately before you, soul displaying clear worry. “were you injured? did i miss something?”

“I had a special necklace that my father made me! It was made to keep me warm as long as I held it. I was wearing it earlier....”

“we can go look for it once you have rested some more, all right?” Beast asked, wrapping himself around you.

You gave a small nod, leaning back against the large monster. “Yeah... okay.”

 

*****

 

Ink stepped back into the Multiverse, noting how frantic Dream looked as he tried to make everyone feel better. Classic was staring at the Undertale page, clearly debating if now was a good time to go back and check on everyone or not while Fell was pacing circles around each page.

“Ink!” Dream yelled in relief, bounding up to him. “Did you have any luck in Swapfell?”

Despite the hopeful looks, Ink shook his head. “Not in the slightest. Any luck in Underlust?”

“No,” Dream admitted with a sigh. “Though, that may be a good thing. I don't want to think about what could happen to the human there.”

“it shouldn't matter where the fuck they are! if we're not with them, they're not _fucking safe_ , are they?!”

Ink stepped in front of the sniffling Dream, narrowing a glare at Fell. “I know that you're upset, but there are just too many AU's to be able to just know where they are.”

“if we rush the search, we could miss them entirely,” Classic rumbled, gaze not moving from his home universe.

With a soft sigh, Ink made his way over. “Take a break, Classic. I'll go get you the second we find them, okay?”

“yeah, alright.”

 

*****

 

Classic sighed loudly, pushing open the door to Grillby's and flincing at the sound of scraping chairs against the wooden floor. Papyrus was by his side in an instant, leading him closer to the bar.

“BROTHER! I AM GLAD TO SEE THAT YOU HAVE RETURNED! HAVE YOU HAD ANY LUCK IN FINDING THE HUMAN?”

The skeleton shook his head, noting the immediate drooping of Grillby's shoulders. From the booth they had taken for their own, Toriel, Frisk, and Alphys hung their heads. Based on the fact that Undyne, Asgore, Dogamy, and Dogaressa weren't here, they must have been out searching again. They wouldn't find you. It wasn't like Sans could tell them you were dragged through dimensions.

The bar had been closed since you went missing, and had become a sort of headquarters for the mission to find you again.

“i thought i found a trail, but it ended up being a dead end,” Sans admitted with an annoyed sigh.

Grillby's flames raised higher as he lifted his head, orange eyes narrowing from behind the glasses. “You let them slip through your fingers _again_?” he muttered, rushing over to Classic and lifting him by the neck of his shirt. “They are gone in the first place because of you! _You_ were the one they were with!”

Frisk jumped over the table, grabbing onto Grillby's pant leg and pulling until they got his attention. After making sure that he wouldn't turn away, they signed, _“uncle Sans feels bad, too. He misses them.”_

“I....” Grillby sighed, setting the skeleton down. “My apologies, Sans.”

“no problem, grillbs. trust me, i'm blaming myself plenty. i shoulda been payin' more attention.”

Toriel stood from her seat, moving toward the shorter monster. “Sans....”

“i'm gonna go look some more. i'm going to find them and bring them home, got that?”

Classic shortcut-ed out of the bar before anyone could tell him not to.

 

*****

 

“welcome back, ya fucker,” Fell rumbled as Classic entered the Multiverse. “get any death threats this time?”

“actually, yes,” came the annoyed response. “where are dream and ink?”

Fell rolled his eyes, turning his gaze back to the Underfell paper as he replied, “ink went to beasttale. dream went to undermafia.” There was a pause before, “who threatened ya?”

“i sorta forgot grillbs was pre-war. he can be pretty damn terrifying.”

Fell snorted, tossing Classic a glare. “why the _fuck_ do you think i'm still here?”

 

*****

 

“So, um..., I hate to interrupt, but I'm just checking in for a human,” Dream called, sweat dripping down his skull.

Gaster sighed, slipping both guns into their holsters. “I assume you know that Error has already been here, then?”

“Wait, what?! The human was actually here? Do you know where they've gone?”

“no idea,” Mafia rumbled with a shrug. “beasttale took off with them. probably trying to get them out of error's bony little fingers.”

Dream groaned, putting his skull into his hands. “So we lost the trail again. If you _just_ lost them, they could be anywhere!”

“That would be the idea, yes,” Gaster hummed. “We will keep an eye out on our end. Toriel and Boss are both worried for the human and their pup, so the two of us can let you know if they happen to end up back here.”

“Thank you. We really-”

A flash of colored magic appeared, Ink stumbling out of it. “Dream! I think that-” he cut himself off, seeming to notice Gaster and Mafia. “O-oh. My apologies.”

“heya, ink. sorry to burst your bubble, but the kid's gone.”

Ink's shoulders sunk. “I... Beast was gone, so I thought that it was a lead....” He sighed loudly, pressing a hand to one of his temples. “Thanks, guys. I'm guessing you've had the full talk already?”

“Yup!” Dream called. “They promised to get in touch!”

“Then we should probably get going. There's a lot more places to look at again.”

“w-wait a sec!”

Both turned their attention to Mafia, eyebrow ridges raised.

“there's something you should know.”

Gaster sighed softly, stepping in front of the clearly disgruntled skeleton. “The human went on a run with Sans, and I gave them a gun since most of the monsters around here can tell whether or not you have one. In order to protect Sans, they... shot someone.”

“T-they... what...?” Dream managed, eyelights disappearing briefly.

“Whoever they shot is fine, right?” Ink asked, hands trembling as he stepped forward. “They'd be devasted if the person didn't survive, you know.”

Gaster cleared his throat, wringing both hands together. “They, um..., saw his soul shatter.”

Turning a horrified glance at Ink, Dream immediately said, “I'm not telling Classic.”

 

*****

 

Both skeletons stepped into the Multiverse hesitantly, minds swimming with the information they had learned. From what Classic had told them, you had a LOVE of _zero_. That shouldn't have possible, but was your LV still actually zero? Classic had specified that you had no EXP either, so you had been a true pacifist. What happened to someone who only wanted to help when they killed another living being? What were you feeling right now?

Who were you with to help you?

“welcome back. tell me ya aren't as fucking useless as i've started to think you are.”

“Make a new list,” Ink replied. “But don't add Undermafia to it this time.”

Fell and Classic both shot to their feet, moving over to the other duo. “the kid was in undermafia?” the latter asked, surprise evident in his voice. “were they _okay_?”

“Mafia and Gaster took care of them,” Ink answered. “But that last question is a bit up for debate.”

Fell stepped forward, actually snarling at the other monster. “and what the _fuck_ does that mean?”

Dream moved between them, pushing Fell away. “Mafia said they have an LV of zero.”

“we've always known that about the kid.”

“He said they _still_ have an LV of zero,” Dream continued, voice much smaller than usual. “Even though they... uh....”

“Even though they accidentally killed someone protecting Mafia.”

Fell and Classic both stepped back, shock evident on their faces. Unsurprisingly, they each took their ways in dealing with the revelation. The former screamed in anger, conjuring bones to slam into the ground. Classic merely collapsed to the floor, shaking his head.

“they _killed_ someone?”

“Mafia said that they didn't mean it,” Dream cut in. “They just meant to scare the monster so he could get an opening. Apparently, they were really upset about it.”

Fell whirled on the other skeleton. “you fucking idiot, of course they were _fucking upset about it_! they grew up in a place where fighting is _bad,_ ya little shit! they shouldn't have to be like me!”

Silence filled the Multiverse at Fell's outburst. No one could really contradict him. You didn't deserve to have to go through the pain of killing someone. Part of growing up in the Undertale world was the fact that you didn't _have_ to learn how to fight. And even though monsters had clearly tried to fight with you, you had never fought back.

And now you'd killed someone.

Classic stood up, eyelights completely gone. “take me to mafia.”

“What?” Ink hummed, looking toward the other skeleton. “Why?”

“they killed someone because he made a mistake. they had to go through that because _he_ was an _idiot_!”

“Classic, I really don't think that-”

“h e ' s g o n n a h a v e a b a d t i m e.”

 

*****

 

You yawned a bit louder than intended, moving to stretch your arms before realizing that you were completely pinned beneath what you assumed to be one of Beast's legs. Normally, you would have done everything in your power to lift it off of you and escape into somewhere where you could have your personal space, but after waking up from a nightmare of seeing souls shatter, the warmth was really nice.

“Do you wish to talk about it?” ARP spoke up, probably having noticed that you'd awoken from a nightmare.

“Not really.”

“May I talk about it?”

“Knock yourself out, man,” you grumbled, spinning around so you were facing what you assumed to be Beast's chest.

“Based on what was happening and what I have learned of your Soul Sight, you were being affected by the hatred in the air. On an added note, my calculations suggested that Sans would not have survived that situation. Two machine guns, a magnum, and a rifle are not things that one can easily escape. By all means, you saved his life.”

“But I killed someone, ARP,” you muttered back, sniffling loudly as tears rose up again. “That man didn't deserve to die.”

“Neither did Sans.”

A soft rumbling in Beast's chest stalled your conversation, and you gave a small chuckle when he pulled you closer. His soul was thrumming with life and some form of contentment, though it took you another minute to realize that it was because he was awake.

“what universe are you originally from?” he asked, his chest vibrating as he spoke.

“Undertale, why?”

“have you heard of the timelines?”

“Time...lines...?”

Beast gave a rumble of annoyance. “classic has not told you nearly enough. whatever human falls into the underground is given the ability to control the timeline. they can reset at will, changing the story as they go. from what i've heard of undertale, there is a being that forced the human to go genocide.”

A shiver wracked your body, prompting Beast to pull you closer. “Genocide?”

“when the being fully possessed the human, your sans, classic, tried to stop them. he killed them over and over again to try and protect what monsters remained.” Beast shifted so that he was laying on his stomach, you between his front legs and leaning back against his chest. “he regrets those memories, but not the act. do you know why?”

“I'm... sorry... I...”

“because he had someone he was trying to protect. just as you protected mafia, classic was protecting his friends. i doubt this will be very helpful now, but i hope that it helps some.”

“It doesn't,” you admitted, letting your head rest off to the side, “but thanks for the thought.”

“then perhaps a distraction is in order. how does looking for that pendant of yours sound?”

You smiled up at the honest desire to help coming from the monster. “That sounds _wonderful_.”

 


	13. Around and Around We Go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had three finals today...
> 
> WHY DID I WRITE MORE. I HAVE ONE TOMORROW AT NINE AM. WHY AM I NOT SLEEPING.
> 
> Enjoy my pain and suffering in the form of a chapter. We're getting closer to the ends, so I hope that you're getting ready!
> 
> (As always, please feel free to point out my mistakes. And tomorrow, I'm going to go and try to respond to all of the comments I haven't gotten to. If you have any questions, I would suggest going to my Tumblr since I will answer things there much faster!)

As you sort of expected, the pendant was nowhere to be found. Beast had easily retraced all of your steps before coming to the conlcusion that you had lost it in Undermafia. It was decided that Ink or Dream could go back and find it once they finally found you.

For the time being, you were resting against a tree branch and enjoying the cool air. ARP was still in the front pocket of your suit jacket, his camera pointed outward. Beast had wandered off a bit, still digging around in an effort to locate the locket.

“wow, kid, you smell delicious.”

“Holy _fuck_!” you shouted, a scream escaping as you tried to get away and a bony hand gripped your wrist.

“meals really shouldn't talk, you know. especially not if you swear. what if paps heard ya?”

“Beast!”

A flash of magic gripped you, forcing you from the new Sans' grasp. Something sharp knicked your wrist as you were pulled away, making you hiss in pain. A warm liquid trickled from the wound, and it didn't take long to figure out what it was.

“oooh, your blood smells so amazing. i'd _love_ to see what i can make from you.”

“Oh my god, what the _fuck_ is wrong with you?” you hissed, clamping your free hand over the wound.

“that is horrortale sans, so call him horror. he doesn't even deserve to be called a real sans,” Beast snarled, his voice sounding more guttural than usual. “ _and he made you bleed._ ”

Amusement and _hunger_ flooded from Horror as he chuckled. “now, now, beast. you shouldn't even be here. besides, i want that kid. i don't know what it is, but i _need_ them.”

“Am I _actually_ some sort of Sans attractor?” you grumbled, leaning against Beast.

“this human is _mine_. you should know better than to take something that belongs to a beast.”

“I'm, uh, not an object.”

“heh heh. this isn't even your universe, beast. give them up.”

“They're not listening to me, are they?”

“my human has been through enough, so i don't want them to see me _kill_ you. let us go, and you can live. take one step closer and i'll show you my real claws.”

The moment Horror's soul moved closer, Beast lunged at him. When magic started to fly around on both side, you bolted for the closest cover that ARP could direct you to: a large rock. Malleus followed close behind, curling into your side.

“What the hell is even going on?” you mumbled, hugging your arms around yourself.

“Perhaps we should consider this 'Sans Attractor' theory of yours,” ARP said in response. “Every Sans that you have come across has been inexplicably attracted to you. There must be something that has caused them to do so.”

Sighing softly, you lowered a hand to scratch Malleus' ears. “I have no idea what would do that, though.”

“Perhaps it has something to do with magic?”

“Humans don't have magic,” you grumbled, casting the phone an annoyed look you knew he couldn't see. “If this is their reaction to me, they should have had it to any human.”

“Your soul, then?” ARP questioned, starting to sound vaguely annoyed.

You were about to snap back at him, but paused as the question settled in your mind. Could it have something to do with your soul? Neither Grillby nor Gaster had seemed to know anything about the term 'Spectrum', meaning that it wasn't something they had ever seen. Both seemed rather attuned to how both human and monster souls worked, so it was strange to consider that _your_ soul of all things was something new to them.

“That... might be it,” you admitted, sighing. “But I don't think there's a way for me to just... shut it off.”

ARP remained quiet, likely searching his databases for information on souls. In the mean time, you brought your attention back to the fight. The lights of both souls had dulled considerably, likely because they were starting to get tired from all the fighting. However, neither seemed to have sustained any real damage. While you weren't an expert, nothing had changed aside from their building exhaustion.

“just hand over the kid, beast, and this will all be over.”

“they are _my human_.”

Another sigh escaped you as you turned your Soul Sight away from the arguing duo. For the time being, you were safe from them, and that was what was important. Besides, it was still good to check your surroundings.

Especially when one of Error's portals was appearing.

“Beast!”

Horror and Beast's attention both shot to you, their jealousy subsiding to be replaced with worry. The latter was the first to get to you, pulling you onto his back and tossing Malleus after you. Once sure you were holding onto both him and the pup, he jumped onto what you assumed to be the top of the rock you had been hiding behind.

“Oh?” a voice purred, amusement flooding from the dark aura that made up his being. “How could I get _so_ lucky? To think that the human I have been searching for was here all along. I almost didn't check here. Figured you would have _died_.”

“would have been nice if they had,” Horror mumbled with a sigh of annoyance. “would make a great dinner, not to mention how much i could save for later.”

“Oh my god, I am _not a fucking meal_!”

“you will leave my human alone, horror,” Beast snarled back, attention turning back to the other skeleton.

“I am not a thing!”

Error laughed heartily, honest amusement escaping his aura. “I see that you are quite happy with where you've ended up.”

“Clearly,” you replied, raising an eyebrow. “So, what exactly do you want with me anyway?”

“What do you mean?”

“I am suriously just a way for you to screw with Classic?”

Another chuckle escaped the skeleton. “You were at first,” he admitted, grin clear in his voice, “but you are much more than that now. I want to know how you work. I want _you_ to be my next puppet.”

“over my dust pile,” Beast cut in, apparently done with his argument.

“Oh, that can be arranged.”

As the familiar strings launched forward, Beast jumped toward the attacking skeleton. After pushing off of what you figured was Error's skull, he launched himself through the portal. Part of you figured that he was just glad to be able to get away from Horror.

And not just for your sake.

A string caught part of Beast, forcing him to a stop only part way through the portal. You pitched forward, the arm that had been holding onto his jacket snapping and cracking as it bent the wrong way. A pained gasp escaped you as you let go and fell into the portal's magic.

“human!”

The crackling magic surrounded you completely before it was replaced with silence. You flew through the empty air for awhile, fear and shock making you freeze. Soon enough, you crashed through some tree branches and into the ground, snow flying up around you as you spun. By the time you had skidded to a stop, snow had leaked through mose of your clothes and shoes. From your side, good arm still wrapped tightly around him, Malleus let loose a pained whine.

As you tried to sit up, using your free arm, a cry of absolute agony escaped you. Hyper-ventilation came soon after, but you did your best to calm yourself and allow your Soul Sight to take a look around. Sensing a couple of souls approach, you released Malleus and sat up. As you tried to stand, one of your legs buckled underneath the pressure, the nerve endings firing off nothing but pain. Trying to lean over Malleus somewhat to protect him, you lifted your good arm to protect your head.

“Please don't hurt me!”

Confusion and concern emanated from the souls above you. While you were able to feel the base emotions, whatever they were likely showing on their faces, it didn't take long at all to realize that your panic and pain were making it hard for you Soul Sight to work even somewhat correctly.

“DON'T WORRY, HUMAN!” an oddly familiar voice called out. Something about it sounded... off. “I, THE MAGNIFICENT SANS, WOULD NEVER EVEN THINK ABOUT HURTING YOU!”

That was a... Sans? Why did he sound so much like Papy? Maybe you were just imagining all of this. Some sort of fever dream.

Wouldn't that be nice.

“Will you, um..., please let me help you?” he asked, voice quiet with the uncertainty behind it.

A bit shakily, you managed to sit upright and lift a whining Malleus against your chest. Hearing his pained whimpers combined with the agony coming from his Soul Shard only made you feel worse.

“C-can you help him f-first?” you asked, breaths coming in ragged gasps.

“OF COURSE THE MAGNIFICENT SANS IS CAPABLE OF HELPING YOUR CANINE COMPANION!” he cheered happily, pausing for a moment before adding, “may I come forward, human?”

You nodded slowly, raising your gaze to the essence that outlined the vaguely familiar skeleton before carefully holding out the still pup. “Please help Malleus,” you mumbled, sad that the dog had been hurt so much in the past few days just because he was trying to comfort and protect you.

“DO NOT WORRY AT ALL, HUMAN! I WILL DO AS YOU ASK!”

“the human doesn't look so hot, bro.” You heard an audible wink before he added, “well they don't look well. they're certainly _hot_ enough.”

“BROTHER, WHY?!”

A small smile lifted up the edges of your lips as Sans took Malleus from your grasp. Magic surrounded both of their souls in the form of a soft, bright blue light. With a small sight of relief, you allowed your eyelids to flutter shut and consciousness to fade away.

 

*****

 

You awoke later to a nice warmth curled into your side, as well as the strong scent of cigarette smoke and... honey? While this Sans and Papyrus didn't seem as dangerous as most of the ones you had come across – seriously, was it some sort of bad luck that you had ended up in all of the dangerous universes – you didn't want to take any chances. With quite a bit of effort, you forced yourself into a sitting position, checking each of your limbs. The arm you had likely broken was now only dully throbbing while the your leg was fine.

After casting out your Soul Sight, the first thing you noted was a soul that felt like a strange combination of your Sans and Papyrus'. Its owner seemed to be focusing intently on you, though it was filled with vague curiosity mixed with a lot of worry and concern.

“mornin',” the owner of the soul hummed.

“Good morning,” you rasped out, throat feeling like sandpaper.

The owner of the soul stood up at your words, lightly grabbing one of your hands and placing a mug into it. “had a feeling you'd wake up soon. that's golden flower tea mixed with some honey. should soothe your throat.”

“Thanks,” you replied before carefully taking a sip. The drink was still pretty hot, but you dealt with it. Whether it burned a little or not wasn't important. You were thirsty.

“so. how'd you end up in snowdin?”

You frowned lightly, eying him. On closer inspection, this monster's soul was clearly more like Papyrus'. The only problem was that he seemed to act a lot more like your Sans.

“I'm going to go out on a limb and guess you know about someone named Error,” you eventually said, keeping your gaze on his soul to gauge his reaction.

Annoyance was the immediate emotion. “you'd be right. damn. no wonder i felt such a strong disturbance.”

After locating Malleus, sleeping calmly at your side and seeming unaffected by your prodding, you asked, “you're Papyrus, aren't you?”

“yup, but you can call me pap if it makes more sense for ya.”

You nodded, happy for the change. “Do you know where we are, Pap?”

“welcome to the underswap universe, where are you from?”

“Um....” You furrowed your eyebrows, trying to remember the last lesson you had gotten from Fell all that while ago. “I think Fell said-”

“you're from underfell?” he asked, giving an incredulous chuckle.

Sighing softly, you shook your head. “No, that's just one of the places I've been.”

“one of?”

“Well, the first place I was sent to _was_ Underfell. Fell took care of me for awhile before Error attacked and I was sent to Undermafia. Then _Mafia_ took care of me while I was there. Error appeared again, this time being attacked by Beast. Beast grabbed me and jumped back through Error's portal and we ended up in Horrortale. Horror tried to... cook... me..., but he and Beast got in a fight. Error showed up again and here I am!”

“that explains why you're so calm about bein' here.”

“Yeah,” you hummed, taking another sip of the tea. “I think I'm from a place called Undertale.”

“so,” he cut in, soul displaying a bit of unease. “how much do you know?”

“Enough to understand the basics. I'm pretty sure that Error and... Ink – I think – are the only ones who travel between the dimensions. If I had to make another guess, I'd say Error likes to cause as much trouble as he can.”

“close enough.” Pap sighed loudly, standing up from his seat. “i'll try and get in touch with ink to get you out of here and back home. in the mean time, try to understand that this world is just like yours but with personalities swapped.”

“Is that why you remind me so much of Classic?”

“yeah. it's also why you _will not_ mention anything about time lines or multiple dimensions in front of my brother. underswap is the exception to the sans' knowing about all that, so my bro doesn't know a thing.”

“I won't say anything,” you squeaked out, vaguely frightened by the sudden malice coming from his soul.

“good. i'll call my bro. he wanted to know when you woke up.” He started to leave before something else seemed to occur to him. “we had to change ya out of your wet clothes, but i hid that gun a' yours with ya. it's probably freezing in here, though, so take my sweatshirt.”

You barely managed to catch the tossed sweatshirt, slipping the chest holster back on before putting on Pap's clothes. It was warm and smelt of honey and cigarettes. “It was a gift from Mafia's Gaster,” you explained. “In case of... emergencies.”

“makes sense.” He headed for the door again, only pausing long enough to say, “the other sanses call him blueberry.”

You decided not to question that particular choice, instead simply nodding and laying back. Malleus yawned rather loudly, getting up and repositioning himself on your stomach to get back to his nap. Smiling to yourself, you held the puppy close and buried your face into the warm and soft material of Pap's sweatshirt.

 

*****

 

Pap avoided talking to you anymore – even after he came back in – but you could feel the magic gathering around him as he 'napped' nearby. He seemed like a genuinely decent guy, even if he seemed more concerned with protecting his brother above all else. If anything, that fact made him an even better person.

It also occurred to you that he had been smoking since you woke up. While you didn't really mind – considering that the smell was the only thing you could notice – it was interesting to note. Besides, how the hell did skeletons even smoke?

The door slamming open tore you from your inner thoughts, instead forcing your attention to the skeleton that had just come in.

“HELLO, STRANGE HUMAN! IT IS I, THE MAGNIFICENT SANS! I SEE THAT YOU HAVE FINALLY AWOKEN AFTER ARRIVING. HOW ARE YOU DOING?”

“Much better,” you answered, smiling softly at him and trying to ignore the fact that Pap was now hyper focused on you. “Thank you so much for helping Malleus and I. We wouldn't have made it without you.”

Embarrassment flashed over his soul for a brief moment before being covered by a familiar excitement. “WELL, OF COURSE, HUMAN! I WAS VERY HAPPY TO HEAL YOU AND YOUR CANINE. THOUGH, I AM SORRY THAT I WAS UNABLE TO FIX YOUR EYES.”

You flinched, lifting a hand to your head for the first time in a while and feeling the fresh bandages. “It's okay, Sans. They've been like this for a long time now.”

The skeleton seemed much happier at realizing it wasn't a fault on his part. “IF YOU ARE SURE, HUMAN! NOW, WOULD YOU LIKE SOME FRIENDSHIP TACOS?”

Despite your stomach rumbling – when was the last time you had eaten again? – a sick feeling settled in your gut. If those tacos were going to be anything like Papy's spaghetti, you were going to be in for a real treat. “Could I help?” you asked, calmly smiling in the shorter monster's direction.

“BUT YOU ARE STILL HEALING, HUMAN! I COULD NOT FIX ALL OF THE DAMAGE!” Blueberry argued, worry flashing across his soul.

“You've healed me plenty,” you replied, moving your vaguely sore limbs as proof. “Besides, shouldn't friendship tacos be made _with_ a friend?”

Blueberry instantly brightened. “WE ARE ALREADY FRIENDS?! MWEH HEH HEH! THEN WE SHALL MAKE TACOS TOGETHER! BUT YOU MUST TAKE MY SCARF, HUMAN. WE HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT OUR HOUSE IS COLD.”

As the warm cloth was tied around your neck – was that a bow he was tying in the back? – Pap's soul flashed with confusion. “but that's part of your battle body, bro.”

“THE HUMAN NEEDS IT MORE THAN I DO RIGHT NOW! NOW, BROTHER, YOU WATCH THE CANINE!” Blueberry carefully pulled you from your seat, making sure Malleus was settled before dragging you off somewhere.

While you couldn't be absolutely positive, you were pretty sure that Pap was _very_ happy with the ending result of that conversation.

 


	14. Why Is He...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finals are almost done... Then I'll have time to respond to all of your comments and stuff. Sorry for taking so long to get to them >.

It was a really good thing that you had chosen to help Blueberry. In all honesty, he cooked even worse than Papy did. A part of you wondered if that was because he couldn't _see_ half of what he was doing. Regardless, trying to put a whole celery stick in a taco wasn't really the best of ideas. Neither was trying to fill it with apple and orange slices. How did he even get those ideas?

Feeling a strange sense of deja vu – your life just repeating in a different universe or something – you maneuvered into the living room and made your way to where Pap's soul was. “Up and at 'em lazy bones. It's time to eat.”

“THAT BETTER NOT HAVE BEEN A PUN!”

“Of course not!” you called back. Grinning down at the lounging skeleton, you added, “it was totally a pun.”

The skeleton chuckled, standing and patting you on the shoulder as he made his way to the kitchen. “nice one, kid.”

You felt a pang deep in your soul at the familiar nickname, but did your best to forget about it for now. No one knew where you were, sure, but that meant Error would have to start his search over again as well. With Pap on your side getting ready to contact Ink, you were sure it wouldn't take too long before you could go home and see your dad again. In the mean time, this world seemed a lot nicer than Underfell, Undermafia, and Horrortale – all of the places you had visited, now that you thought about it.

Gathering Malleus into the pocket of Pap's sweatshirt, you shook yourself free of those thoughts. Now wasn't really the time to be thinking about stuff like that. You might as well enjoy your time here while you had it.

As you got back into the kitchen, Blueberry skipped right over to you and helped you into one of the kitchen chairs. He made sure that you knew where everything you would need was – plate, fork, knife, and drink – before taking his own seat beside you.

“these are actually pretty good, bro.”

“OF COURSE THEY ARE GOOD. THE MAGNIFICENT SANS COOKED THEM WITH THE HELP OF THE WONDERFUL HUMAN!”

He was growing really attached pretty quickly, you noted with a raise of an eyebrow. Deciding that it was just in his character, you took a bite of one of the tacos. Pap was right. The taste was fairly decent considering there was still a few less than... desirable ingredients in them, but you were still happy with the final result. Besides, Blueberry was practically basking in all of the praise being thrown his way.

As Pap finished up his mean, you felt some seriousness sneak through the laziness in his soul. “so, bro, should we get some blankets and pillows so the human can sleep on the couch?”

Blueberry gasped loudly, as if the very idea of you sleeping on the couch was an offense against him personally. “OF COURSE NOT! OUR GUEST WAS INJURED TODAY AND SHOULD HAVE THE UTMOST CARE! THEY WILL SLEEP IN MY BED TONIGHT!”

Wait... what?

“It's really not that big of a deal, guys,” you cut in, drawing their attention. “I've slept of plenty of couches before today.” Well..., that was a lie, but your bed at the orphanage was crappy enough to be considered a couch.

“NO WAY, HUMAN! YOU MUST BE ABSOLUTELY AND UNDENIABLY COMFORTABLE!”

“I am _not_ taking your bed.”

Pap sighed, standing from his spot. “you two can argue about it yourselves. i'm going to sleep.”

“BROTHER! DO NOT BE LAZY AT SUCH AN IMPORTANT TIME!”

“'night, bro.”

Blueberry groaned loudly, turning his attention back to you once Pap was gone. “MY APOLOGIES, HUMAN, BUT I MUST INSIST THAT YOU TAKE THE BED.”

“And if I refuse?” you asked, raising an eyebrow as a shit-eating grin spread across your face.

“THEN I SHALL CARRY YOU TO MY BED AND KEEP YOU THERE MYSELF!”

Before you got a chance to argue – or respond in any way, really – Blueberry had lifted you into his surprisingly strong arms. He bolted off through the house, bringing you up a set of stairs and slamming open a door. Within moments of being picked up, you were dropped onto an incredibly soft surface.

“I KNOW THAT YOU CANNOT SEE IT, BUT THIS IS RACECAR BED. MY BROTHER FOUND IT FOR ME IN WATERFALL. I SHOULD BRING YOU WHEN YOU GET BETTER. IT IS VERY NICE.”

“Don't go changing the subject, mister,” you scolded, turning your gaze to him and crossing your arms. “If I sleep in your bed, where are you going to sleep, hm?”

“THE MAGNIFICENT SANS WILL SLEEP ON THE SLIGHTLY LESS MAGNIFICENT COUCH.”

“No freaking way. I am _not_ letting you take the couch while I sleep in the bed.” While a part of it was that you didn't want to be such a burden, there were a few more things gnawing at your mind.

What if you woke up and found out that you were still in Underfell? Or Undermafia? Or, god forbid, Horrortale?

What if Error found you while you were sleeping?

What if you _didn't_ wake up?

“Human?” Blueberry muttered, sitting on the bed beside you and placing a hand on one of your knees. “You are shivering. Is this about how you reacted to brother and I when we first met?”

Not really wanting to explain the whole situation – especially since Pap would kill you for most of what you'd have to say – you just nodded. In reality, you were terrified. You kept ending up in realms that had no real meaning to you. The people, while their souls were _similar_ were _so_ different. While this world _seemed_ safe enough, what if it wasn't? What if this was where you'd die?

Skinny, yet surprisingly warm and sturdy, arms wrapped around you. “It is okay to cry, human. Even brother cries sometimes.”

Yeah. You were crying a lot lately, weren't you?

“Thank you, Sans.”

 

*****

 

Waking up the next morning was probably one of the strangest things you had dealt with to date. Having a source of warmth beside you in bed was something you had never experienced before. There were no animals at the orphanage, so you didn't even have that as a memory. Now, you were waking up with a very small skeleton somehow managing to spoon you and a little puppy laying against the your chest.

As oddly comfortable as it all was, you felt wrong. Sure, Blueberry may have been acting like a little cinnamon roll, but he was still an adult. Well, you figured he was anyway.

Sighing softly, you nudged the skeleton with your elbow. “Sans? I'd like to get up please.”

Blueberry mumbled something incoherent before tightening his grip on your midsection.

Luckily, you didn't have to wait long before the cavalry arrived. The door creaked opened slowly, and you sensed Pap's soul long before it actually moved.

“hey, bro, are you in here? is everything-” he cut himself off, gaze no doubt locked on the bed.

Before the confusion in his soul could turn into anything else – some sort of rage, no doubt – you called out to him, “pap. Please help me.”

An orange light surrounded you, lifting you off the bed and expertly plucking you from Blueberry's death grip. The smaller skeleton mumbled something rather obscene before pulling Malleus into his arms instead. He seemed to relax somewhat at having something to cuddle.

Pap led you from the room, helping you get down the stairs and into one of the chairs at the kitchen table. “you shared a bed?” he asked, both voice and soul dripping with protective malice.

One wrong move and you were dead. “I don't really remember much. We argued a bit about where we were going to sleep, but something set me off, I guess. I was terrified of something happening while I asleep, I think. Blueberry gave me a hug when I started crying, but that's all I remember.”

Pap immediately relaxed, sighing softly and lighting up a cigarette. “okay, that makes sense. had to make sure you weren't trying to seduce my bro or take advantage of 'im.”

Your saliva caught in your throat, and you had to cough a few times before managing, “ _why_ would I want to do that?”

“he is the best brother in the world.”

“Really?” you muttered, rolling your eyes beneath the bandages. “Regardless, I was on a date with someone when I got taken the first time.”

“was it classic?”

“Let me guess, the home universe thing gave it away?”

“yup.”

“It was our second date, I think, but I was just getting comfortable around monsters again,” you explained, frowning when you went to reach for the locket but realized it wasn't there.

“you don't like monsters?”

“No need to sound so offended,” you sighed out, leaning back in your chair. “One of my first interactions with a monster was one dragging me into an alley and blinding me.”

To his credit, Pap was genuinely sorry. “oh. that explains a lot, actually. must've been awful in underfell, and i can't even imagine how bad horrortale was.”

You just shrugged. “I guess I reacted to you and Blueberry the way I did when I first arrived for a reason, whether I intended it or not.” A flash of emotion upstairs distracted you. “I think he's waking up.”

“how can you tell?”

“If you hadn't already noticed, I'm still partially able to see. That's because, to put it rather bluntly, I can see everything's souls. Even though I can't see actual expressions, I can feel emotions straight off of souls. I can even see a main trait.”

“main trait? you mean like how human souls have color?”

“Monster souls are white or gray, but they have what I've taken to calling Soul Sparks, something that gives them a bit of color.”

“prove it.”

You raised an eyebrow, turning your gaze to him despite the fact that he'd had your full attention for awhile. “How?”

“what's my spark?”

“Light teal,” you replied automatically, grinning at him. “It stands for composure.”

After a moment of silence, Pap hummed. “okay, i can see that. what about my bro?”

“His is dark blue, which stands for integrity.”

“THAT'S SO COOL!”

You jumped, feeling a similar shocked feeling coming from Pap. While you had been so focused on the conversation at hand, Blueberry had woken up and came downstairs. There was a bright, light pink soul shard in his arms, indicating that he had brought Malleus with him. The pup barked softly, jumping right from Blueberry's arms and into your lap.

“Well, good morning to you, Malleus,” you hummed, laughing when he licked your face. “Ew, not so early in the morning, please!” Once the pup calmed down some, you raised your gaze to the shorter skeleton. “Good morning, Sans. How did you sleep?”

A bit of fluster flew through his soul. “WONDERFUL, HUMAN! IT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I HAVE LAST SLEPT THAT WELL!”

You raised an eyebrow. Didn't that seem like a bit too much information to give to some you had _just_ met?

…

Was he trying to flirt with you?

“mornin', bro. what's for breakfast?”

“BREAKFAST TACOS!”

You practically flew from your seat, the idea of having his tacos again making you a bit sick to your stomach. “Why don't we try something new?!”

“SOMETHING NEW? BUT I ONLY KNOW HOW TO MAKE TACOS.”

You frowned for a moment, considering his words. “Have you guys only eaten tacos?”

“i go to muffet's bar sometimes.”

Her... bar? Pushing that thought to the side, you turned to Blueberry. “How about I show you how to make pancakes and eggs?”

“WOWIE! THAT SOUNDS AMAZING, HUMAN!”

After sending Blueberry all around the kitchen to find the ingredients and cookware – you wouldn't have been much help trying to find things – you set to giving instructions. Several times, you had to calm the shorter skeleton down so that he'd stop making pancake batter fly everywhere.

The most interesting thing happened right when you started actually cooking the pancakes. You'd just shown Blueberry how to move the pan to flip them and handed it over to give him a try. Moments later, there was absolute silence in the room.

You frowned, trying to find some sort of indication in their souls as to what had happened, but Blueberry's was blank – shock – and Pap was too busy trying to hold back laughter. Malleus was hopping around near your feet, overcome with excitement.

“What? What happened?”

At your reaction, Pap lost it and burst out into full laughs.

“What?!”

“don't think you're supposed to stick it to the ceiling, bro.”

If took a moment for you to figure out just what that statement meant. A snort escaped you, and you would have let loose your own string of laughter if it wasn't for the fact that Blueberry's soul suggested he was about to cry.

“Oh, it's okay, Sans! We made plenty of batter!”

“R-really?” he sniffled, attention switching over to you.

“That's right!”

“C-can you help me?”

…

Was he trying to flirt with you again?

“Sure thing, Sans.”

“MWEH HEH HEH! I, THE MAGNIFICENT SANS, WILL MOST DEFINITELY DO IT WITH THE HELP OF THE WONDERFUL HUMAN.”

If the way any merriment from his soul disappeared, you and Pap reached the same conclusion at the same time. With a bit of a strained chuckle, you poured some more batter into the pan and grabbed Blueberry's wrist, helping him through the motions when the time came.

As Blueberry finished up the pancakes, you worked on making some scrambled eggs. They were the easiest to cook without sight, since smell and feeling were both huge factors. When you thought they were done, you took a quick bite.

Pleased with the results, you took a large bowl and filled it with the eggs before bringing them to the table. After that, Blueberry made you sit down while he finished getting everything else ready. Sure enough, it wasn't long before he took his seat beside you. He, unsurprisingly, helped get you what you wanted before serving himself.

While you were vaguely uncomfortable with the malice practically rolling off of Pap's soul, you tried to focus on the breakfast.

The pancakes were really good.

 

*****

 

“INTERESTING CHOICE OF FOOD, HUMAN. IT WAS NOT AS GOOD AS TACOS, BUT IT IS DEFINITELY UP THERE. I WILL COME BACK AFTER PATROLS. MWEH HEH HEH!”

Blueberry practically ran from the building once he had done all of the dishes, not waiting for either you or Pap to say anything.

The moment the front door had shut, you slammed your head down onto the table. “ _Why_ is your brother _flirting_ with _me_?”

Any malice that was present instantly disappeared, replaced by amusement and confusion. “you're not doing it on purpose, are you?”

“Doing what on purpose?”

“heh. my bro sure has interesting tastes in mates.”

“Whoa! Wait a minute!” you called out, head shooting up. “Are you seriously just okay with all this?”

“can't stop him once he sets his mind to somethin'. besides, you're pretty attractive for a skeleton covered in flesh.”

…

Was _he_ flirting with you now, _too_?!

“But I'm going home soon,” your groaned, slamming your head back onto the table. “He'll be heartbroken!”

Pap was silent for just a moment, seeming to think about your statement. “you could stay here.”

“What?” The word was so quiet even you could barely hear it.

“i'm serious.”

“You both _just_ met me!”

“i'm a good judge of character.”

“You can't be that good!”

Pap sighed, his soul flashing with a bit of guilt. “i can read soul stats.”

“Stats?”

“things like hp, love, and stuff like that. when we first ran into you, your hp was in the decimals. it was a miracle you were alive.” His voice was full of seriousness, and it made you a bit uncomfortable. “when we got back, i took your soul out for healing.”

You raised a hand. “Wait a minute. I thought that seeing a soul is only supposed to be intimate.”

“in most cases. this was an emergency, though,” the larger skeleton explained, being oddly patient considering that he generally seemed more inclined to just give a simple explanation. “anyway, i saw your soul.”

“The Spectrum,” you said in response, frowning softly.

“so you've seen it too, then?” he asked, sighing at your nod. “i've never seen anything like it, but i have read about it.”

You immediately brightened up, turning to him. “You know about it?!”

“down, kid, down. from what little the book said, it seems that a spectrum soul has a incredible amount of both human determination and monster magic.”

“How is that even possible?”

“i don't know. it shouldn't be, by all means. anyway, the book delved into universe theory a bit. to make a long story short, you're the only you in every universe.”

You leaned back in your chair, letting out a low whistle. “But why?”

“no idea. according to the book, there's only been one recorded spectrum. the owner of it used it to defeat nightmare, dream's twin brother.”

“Did the book say what happened?”

“they died. at first, they tried to kill nightmare, but dream was adamant that his twin survive, so the spectrum sealed him away instead.”

“Did it say where?” you asked, leaning forward.

“no.”

Heaving a sigh, you collapsed into the chair. “So back to my original question, why do you trust me?”

“your love, or level of violence, is zero.”

You just stared at him for a moment. “Yeah, that means nothing to me.”

“from birth, every creature has a love of one. having zero shouldn't even be possible,” Pap explained, seeming relieved when the shock started to show on your face. “yeah. it's a big deal. anyway, that fact that your love is zero means that you've never even tried to hurt anything.”

“And that makes me trustworthy?” you asked slowly, deciding not to mention that you _had_ hurt something before.

Why your LV wasn't affected was beyond your knowledge.

“pretty much.”

A sigh escaped your lips as you turned your gaze to the ceiling. “And why does that make you want me to stay?”

“i was making a point. you're safe and you're the only one of you in every universe, meaning that it's safe for you to stay,” Pap explained. “besides, it'd make my bro happy. and if he's happy, i'm happy.”

“My dad is waiting for me.”

“no saying you couldn't visit.”

“Pap....”

“just think it over, okay?”

You gave a small nod. “If it'll make you happy, the least I can do is promise to consider it.”

“thanks. now i should probably get going on my patrol before my bro gets back. he'll get mad if he thinks i'm slacking off.”

Pap disappeared in a flash of orange magic before you could even get another word out, leaving you alone with your thoughts.

 

*****

 

It was Malleus that eventually got you to leave the nest of blankets and pillows – stolen from Blueberry's bed – that you had made on the couch. He was whining and dragging the folded up leash from your pant's pocket, practically begging you to let him outside. Sighing softly, you hooked the leash to his collar and then left the house.

Several monsters greeted you with warmth, a strange feeling considering this same area – though in a different dimension – had greeted you with malice just the day before. A few were clearly getting the wrong impression of your relationship with the brothers if the way they mentioned the sweatshirt and scarf were any indication. Regardless, you caught a few strings of conversation, picking out what you could about this world.

Apparently, there was a star by the name of Napstaton, which made you wonder what had happened to Mettaton in this world. They also seemed to be ruled by a queen, where you were fairly certain _your_ world's leader had been a king.

Most notably to your personal connections, you heard that the bar in town was run by Muffet. After asking someone nearby where you could find Grillby, they said that he could be found at the bakery near Hotland. It didn't take long to figure out that the swap here was Grillby and Muffet, though it made you a bit sad that you couldn't go to your father's bar and feel its warm atmosphere.

If the sudden lack of voices were any indication, you had just left town. Considering that it hadn't taken more than a minute or two, the town itself must have been pretty small. Well, as long as Malleus wanted to keep going, you were fine.

“HUMAN!”

Arms wrapped around your middle, lifting you into the air. A gasp of surprise escaped you while Malleus just yelped.

“BE CAREFUL, THERE IS ICE THERE. IF YOU DO NOT WATCH YOUR STEP, YOU COULD FALL!”

You gave Malleus the most withering glare you could manage, since he was leading you, before turning to Blueberry with a smile. “Thanks, Sans. I appreciate it.”

“ARE YOU TAKING THE CANINE FOR A WALK?”

“Yeah, I think he was getting sick of being cooped up.”

“WHY DON'T YOU ACCOMPANY ME ON THE REST OF MY PATROL? THIS WAY, I CAN GUIDE YOU OVER THE ICE!”

That was... actually a pretty helpful idea. It didn't even sound like he was doing it in an effort to flirt this time. He just genuinely wanted to help you.

“That would be great, Sans. Thanks for the help,” you hummed, grinning brightly at him.

He seemed flustered for just a moment before taking your hand and carefully leading you over the ice. As you both walked, he pointed out different landmarks, often getting you close enough so that you could touch them. He introduced you to a couple members of the royal guard as well, all of them being very kind to you.

By the time you reached what was apparently Pap's station, all of your worries had been chased away. When Pap lifted his head to acknowledge Blueberry's appearance, he seemed more than a little surprised to notice you and Malleus there as well.

“taking a walk?”

“I SAVED THE HUMAN FROM A TERRIBLE FATE!”

Noticing the honest worry flash across Pap's soul, you added, “Malleus almost led me straight onto some ice. Sans kept me from hurting myself.”

Pap immediately relaxed, all concern disappearing with your words. “how brave of you, bro. you really are the best guard.”

“OF COURSE, FOR I AM THE MAGNIFICENT SANS! MWEH HEH HEH!” Blueberry gave a hearty laugh before making his way over to the station. “HAVE YOU SEEN ANY HUMANS, BROTHER?”

“yeah.”

“REALLY?! WHERE ARE THEY?!”

“they're standing right behind you, bro.”

You could practically _feel_ Blueberry's pout from where you were standing with Malleus. “Don't worry, Sans. I'm sure a human will show up soon.”

“OF COURSE THEY WILL. THEN I, THE MAGNIFICENT SANS, WILL CAPTURE THEM. WHEN I GIVE THEM TO CAPTAIN ALPHYS, I WILL FINALLY BECOME A MEMBER OF THE ROYAL GUARD!”

“I'm sure you'll make it soon, Sans.”

“WHY THANK YOU VERY MUCH, HUMAN, BUT OF COURSE I WILL MAKE IT. THEY JUST DON'T REALIZE HOW MUCH THEY NEED ME YET!”

Man, was he an excitable guy... but...

You were pretty sure that you liked that about him.

You were even positive that you liked Pap's laziness.

 

This was... a nice place.


	15. All Good Things Must Come to an End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to say, but there won't be any more AU's including in this story. We're coming to a close, and I'm running out of new scenarios. Based on the fact that we reached Underswap last chapter, I couldn't change it either. However, I might type up same One-Shot chapter of what would have happened to the Reader in certain AU's in you all would like (I already have quite a few ideas for Undertone, as well as Storyshift). I would add them as separate stories under a series, so let me know if you'd like to read them!

Blueberry escorted you home after that, saying he would have to report to Alphys, but that your secret was safe with him and all of the other guards. Apparently, while you had forgotten to put your hood up, the bandages around your eyes had served as a means of hiding the majority of your humanity.

As puppies tended to do, Malleus went straight into a nap upon reaching the house. You set about making lunch for both boys with what they had, hoping that you could make something at least mediocre without being able to see.

You made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Those were simple enough.

Pap popped in briefly, happily surprised when you gave him his lunch. He admitted that Blueberry usually made it, but probably forgot since his schedule was all messed up. After thanking you – and letting you know that his magic gathering should be done by the next night – he disappeared again.

When Blueberry showed up for lunch, the two of you ate together. He happily chatted away about all sorts of things, telling you everything he could think of about Snowdin. When he ran out there, he started telling you about Waterfall. Once the meal was done, Blueberry showed you how to work the DVD and music player so that you could have something to do.

While both boys were really nice, it was lonely. They would both be back for dinner later on, but it didn't mean that you weren't alone now. ARP had finally died that morning, and you lacked the right materials to charge him.

You missed your dad, and his calming presence.

You missed Mettaton, and his excitable attitude.

You missed Papyrus, and his ability to always make you smile.

You missed Sans.

 _Your_ Sans.

 

*****

 

You helped Blueberry with dinner again that night, glad to have something to do. Over dinner, you argued about sleeping arrangements again. This time, it ended with Pap just telling the two of you to share the bed again. While you weren't entirely comfortable with that idea, it made the most sense.

Besides, the skeletons didn't feel cold, so they didn't have a heater. Sleeping next to Blueberry meant that you wouldn't freeze to death through the night. It ended up becoming a necessary evil, which was okay with you.

You'd be going home the next day, anyway.

Probably.

As you climbed into bed, accepting the storybook Blueberry handed you, the smaller skeleton spoke up, “hey, human?”

You turned your gaze to him. “Is something wrong, Sans?”

“Would you go somewhere with me tomorrow?”

It was strange to see him so quiet and unsure, so you immediately agreed, “of course, Sans.”

His attitude changed within a second as he hopped onto the bed beside you. “WONDERFUL! YOU WERE SEEMING RATHER DOWN, SO I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING TO HELP!”

He had noticed? You were pretty sure that even Pap hadn't noticed.

“TIME FOR PEEK-A-BOO WITH FLUFFY BUNNY!”

“O-oh, right,” you muttered, shaking your head clear and opening the book to its first page.

 

*****

 

Pap seemed a little concerned that you were going out right after dinner, but relaxed some when Blueberry told him that the two of you would be back within an hour. The taller skeleton made sure to let you know that he'd be ready to get in touch with Ink by the time you got back, if not sooner. You smiled brightly as you thanked him for everything, asking him to watch Malleus while you were gone. After he agreed, you gave the pup a big hug and headed out.

Unsurprisingly, Blueberry chatted most of the way to where ever his destination was. When you did finally arrive, you knew because he had stopped talking.

“This is my favorite spot in the underground,” he said after a moment, voice quiet and full of awe as he sat down. “It's called the wishing room.”

“Oh?”

“There are a lot of stones in the ceiling that they say look like the stars on the surface. I love looking up at them as they glow.”

You frowned, sitting beside him. “It sounds beautiful.”

“Oh, but there's something else, too!” Blueberry called. “I like to close my eyes and just listen. Try not looking at any souls or feeling for any emotions. Just focus on the sounds.”

Raising an eyebrow, you did as he asked, turning off your Soul Sight. The first thing you noticed was the sound of rushing water. Some of it sounded different than other sections. After some focusing, you realized that it was the difference between the regular river and the waterfalls. There was occasionally a small plopping sound, as if things were flying off the waterfalls and into the water below. Wind blew through the whole area, going through sections of what must have been grass. An echoing wind came back, suggesting that there was a chasm nearby.

The one thing that really ended up sticking out was the sound of whispers.

“Who's talking?” you asked softly, not wanting to break the moment.

“Echo flowers,” Blueberry responded, his soul full of happiness. “They repeat anything that they've heard.”

“And they just keep doing it?”

“Around this time of day, they just do it over and over again as quietly as they can.”

“Whoa,” you managed, laying back and just enjoying the moment.

The two of you stayed like that for a long time, the moment only broken by a strange feeling entering your soul. You sat up straight, immediately opening up your Soul Sight.

Something was wrong.

“Sans, we've got to go.”

“Huh?”

“I don't know why, but I think that something's happened.”

Immediately, Blueberry was up and by your side. He gently grabbed your hand before leading you back through the winding Waterfall corridors.

 

*****

 

“kid! thank god,” your Sans called, relief clear in his voice.

“i told you that they were fine,” Pap cut in, sounding a little exasperated.

“good to see that you're okay, pet,” Fell added, trying to sound gruff despite his soul giving away just how relieved he was.

“What's going on?” you immediately asked, noticing that the strange feeling around your soul was starting to get worse.

_“Look out!”_

You jumped back, pulling Blueberry with you, as magic strings slammed into the spot you had occupied just a moment before. “ **0000!** ” _Fuck!_

All attention turned toward you again, a combination of the attack and the fact that you had once again spoken in Wingdings.

“Error! Get out here!”

An echoing, glitchy laugh spread throughout the area, its owner sounding incredibly amused. “I do not believe that you are one who should be able to call me out, puppet.” Regardless, you noticed his black aura appear before you. “But I do appreciate a good challenge. Now, if you don't mind, puppet, I need your soul.”

You furrowed your eyebrows, confusion flashing across your mind. “My soul? I thought you just wanted me to be your puppet?”

The glitching laugh sounded out again. “Oh, I still do, but I need something from your soul first, puppet.”

Strings shot out without warning, heading straight for you. You braced for impact, jumping in surprise when you heard Pap's cry.

“bro!”

Opening your eyes, you noticed that the inky black strings had grasped Blueberry's soul. “LEAVE MY HUMAN ALONE!”

Error merely laughed. “Your human. Really? What are you, puppet? Some sort of Sans attractor?”

Was it that obvious to others?

_“Human, listen carefully.”_

“What is it you want?” you called out, trying to say something that wouldn't tip Error off.

_“You have hidden magical energies. With both Ink and Error's presence, it is easier for me to speak, so listen carefully.”_

“I want Nightmare, of course!” Error yelled out. “Don't tell me you don't know, puppet! A Spectrum soul shouldn't have _any_ black! I finally figured out where Nightmare is being kept!”

_“I can release that magical energy, but it will be up to you to harness it. However, with no training, you will be unable to. In turn, I wish for us to bond.”_

“What?!” you gasped out, turning the majority of your attention to Gaster.

“You heard me, puppet. I'm bringing Nightmare back! Together, we can fully destroy the AU's!”

_“Since my soul is in shards, I believe it can be temporary, provided that we do not remain that way for too long. Doing this will allow you to access all of my abilities as well as my capability of controlling them.”_

“What do I need to do?” you whispered, voice so quiet that not even Blueberry – who was still directly in front of you – could hear it.

 _“Take out your soul and imagine connectors linking your soul to my shards. Do_ not _imagine absorption, or it will be irreversible.”_

You nodded carefully, extricating your soul the way you had seen Gaster do it the first time. The response among your companions was immediate, with most of them crying out to you. Error seemed excited, believing that you were passing your soul over to him.

Just like that, there was explosion of energy, and things _changed_.

 

*****

 

The first thing that came to mind was that you were quite a bit taller than you had been moments ago. Your body was rather thin and lanky now, one of your arms seeming almost weightless. There was also the feeling of possessing extra limbs. Several hands were floating about you, just on the other side of the Void as they awaited your command. You could also feel the presence of the Gaster Blasters. Their strength was ready to be used by you, even if you weren't exactly their master.

As you prepared to fight, expanding your Soul Sight, something else occurred to you.

You could see the souls, but there was more. Oh, there was so much more. Images went with them. Living, breathing images.

 _You could see again_.

While you weren't certain that now was the best time, you took a moment to take in the appearances of all of your companions. On Error's other side, Ink, Dream, Classic, Fell, and Pap were ready to fight – though they currently looked too shocked to know what to do. Just in front of you was Blueberry, mouth agape and the strings around his soul having gone limp.

Classic was, once again, wearing his jacket. Fell was wearing a black jacket with a red shirt underneath, and he actually had a golden tooth. Dream was dressed brightly from head to toe, a light blue jacket and shorts accented by his golden boots, belt, cape, and crown. There were bright yellow stars in his eyes.

Ink's outfit was a bit harder to explain. It seemed like he was wearing brown shorts and t-shirt, though there also seemed to be matching gloves and some sort of apron. Dark brown sneakers adorned his feet while his gradient scarf blew in the light breeze. There was a light blue jacket tied around his waist, and a leather sash covered in painting supplies across his chest. His left eye was just like Dream's, a bright yellow star. The other was a simple, blue circle.

Pap's whole outfit was really simple, being only three separate articles. There was the orange hoodie, green cargo shorts, and red sneakers. A cigarette lay at his feet, long since forgotten. Blueberry clearly cared more about his appearance than his brother. He was wearing a light gray t-shirt and dark pants, the whole thing accented by a few, dark blue items. These were the boots, gloves and bandana. Both of his eyes were bright blue dots.

And then there was Error. Instead of the normal white bone, his were almost completely black. The only differences were his teeth and fingers, which were glowing a bright orange. His left eye was four different colors, going red, yellow, blue, and black from the outside in, while his right eyes was just a red eye socket with a white pupil. His outfit was the same dark color, and he looked sort of how you imagined Classic to look like if you just changed his color scheme. It was also now that you were able to tell that his strings were actually blue, they were just covered in some inky substance.

“What the hell, puppet? Where did you pull that trick from?”

Without missing a beat, you summoned a Gaster Blaster, cutting through the strings that had been holding Blueberry hostage. You jumped forward, grabbing the small skeleton and Void-walking right to Error's other side, where Pap had been waiting for his brother.

The whole situation would have been cooler if your soul didn't hurt like _hell_. Taking a deep breath, you focused on your own appearance. A scream of surprise left your throat almost immediately.

“What the _fuck_ happened to my arm?!” you shouted out, staring at your right appendage. The white of the bone was almost glaringly bright, and it sent shivers down your spine.

_“You combined with a skeleton, human. I am not sure what you were expecting.”_

“What else is different?” you demanded, starting to get worried.

_“You no longer have eyeballs. If I could hazard a guess, I would say that your left eye is orange and your right eye is blue. It would explain how you are able to see again.”_

“Great. Fucking wonderful.”

A sudden laugh from Error broke you from your inner argument. “Oh, I _get_ it. That's why you could speak Wingdings, huh? There was a Gaster residing in your soul. What was he doing there? Trying to heal himself from all that time in the void?”

“It doesn't matter to you, Error!” you called out, taking a step forward. “What matters is that I'm going to stop you! Just like the last Spectrum stopped Nightmare, I'll be stopping _you_!”

“W-wait a minute!” Dream called, making everyone turn to him. “I'm starting to get confused here. Can someone tell me what's going on? What does my brother have to do with _this_?”

You raised an eyebrow, turning your gaze to Error. “Would you like to explain or shall I?”

“Go ahead, puppet,” Error purred, lifting his hands and pretending to pick at a non-existent fingernail. “I've got all the time in the world.”

Sighing softly, and flipping Error the middle finger, you turned to your companions. Classic was starting to look really confused, and his soul was full of worry. Ink seemed to be a bit torn, and it briefly crossed your mind that he might have known the last Spectrum. Practically hiding under his friend's scarf, Dream was looking out at the whole scene with confusion and concern. Pap was hiding Blueberry behind him, looking torn between helping you and protecting his brother.

With a bit of uneasiness, you pulled your soul from its hiding place in your chest cavity. All of its colors glowed brightly, lighting up everything around it. Each of the six shards shimmered with the colors shining around them.

“kid, what are those?”

You frowned at Classic, allowing a small sigh to escape. “A new friend I made just the other day. His soul was slowly being destroyed, so he requested to use mine to heal.”

“you just let this monster into your soul? what the fuck, pet? why did you ever think that was a good idea?”

“He was dying,” you answered, shrugging. “Besides, he wanted to come back to see his sons again.”

It was your Sans that stepped forward, eye lights having long since disappeared. “you met my dad and you _didn't tell me_?!”

_“Tell him that he is being unreasonable. He would not have believed you.”_

You turned your gaze to the side, hands going to your hips. “Of course he wouldn't have believed me! He's just angry right now.”

“who are you even talking to?”

“Gaster,” you replied with a non-committal wave of your hand, casting Pap a glance.

A cough from behind you brought your attention back to Error. “I know I said that I had all of the time in the world, but could you hurry up? No one really cares about you joining with Gaster.”

“We actually _do_ care,” Ink cut in, waving his paintbrush in the air.

“Just get on with the soul stuff,” Error growled. “I'm _tryin'_ to be nice here.”

“You're an ass,” you snarled back, baring your teeth at the skeleton.

“Nice canines.”

Frowning softly at the purr in his voice, you pressed a thumb to one of the now sharpened teeth. “Wonderful,” you grumbled, turning back to the others. “Ink, you've probably heard the term Spectrum before.”

The skeleton walked a bit closer, gaze moving to your soul. “I knew the first Spectrum and how they were made,” he admitted. “But after they defeated Nightmare, I never expected to see the same soul.”

Dream stepped forward, following his friend. “Spectrum was really nice, especially considering that they were formed from so many different people.”

At this, even Error seemed intrigued. You hazarded a guess that he only knew _of_ Spectrum and their defeat of Nightmare.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN MADE?” Blueberry spoke up, eyes glancing up toward you.

It was Ink who released a sigh. “When Nightmare first became a problem, Dream and I began gathering companions from different universes to help us. They ranged from monster to human, but all of them had a lot of determination to save their homes. However, it soon became apparent that it wasn't enough.”

“Nightmare was still spreading his despair.”

“We needed hope, and our new fighters were losing it fast,” Ink explained, giving Dream a comforting pat on the head. “Luckily, one of the monsters got an idea. He was a scientist working in the Swapfell universe. An incredibly bright man, but I realize now he was likely blinded by his desire to prove himself.” With another sigh, Ink raised his gaze to the roof of the cavern. “At the time, the plan seemed plausible. It made sense and, in reality, it was our only option.”

“Together, all of our new friends made a machine that was supposed to imprison my brother. It would utilize the determination and magic of all of them. This machine would take their energy right from their souls.”

“Looking back on it, it was a really stupid idea. Dream and I lured Nightmare to the section of the Multiverse – the land between the AU's – that our fighters had made the machine in. When they turned it on, Nightmare in their sights, something went horribly wrong. The magic and determination melded together, stuck in the barrel of their gun. There was a meltdown. Even Nightmare made a break for it, concerned he'd die in the explosion.”

“Ink and I had to hide in one of the nearby AU's.”

Ink lowered his gaze, face devoid of a smile. “When we returned, we were met by Spectrum. Most of fighters had been human, with souls ranging across every color. So, before us, we saw a rather small human. A large, bright soul was floating above them. The center of that soul was stark white, like a monster's, but it branched out into every color. They had all morphed together into one being.”

“They had created a new life, but ended their own.”

“When Spectrum awoke, they immediately asked us to help them find Nightmare. While their soul was incredibly powerful, they told us that their body couldn't handle it. Spectrum didn't have long before their body dusted, leaving behind a rather useless soul.”

“So we found Nightmare as quick as we could.”

“And let Spectrum take charge.”

“It wasn't long before they defeated him in battle,” Dream cut in, tears starting to rise in his eye sockets. “But I begged with them. He may have done bad things, but my brother didn't deserve to die!”

Ink pulled Dream in, rubbing his skull in the most comforting manner he could manage. “Spectrum agreed without much thought, but they had to seal him away somehow. None of us knew of anything strong enough, though.”

“But they figured out the one thing capable of sealing away someone as strong as Nightmare,” Error cut in, grin widening.

“Right,” Ink muttered, gaze raising to stare directly at you. “Spectrum locked Nightmare in their own soul.”

You took a step back, eyes locking onto the thing floating just in front of your chest. The inside was white, just as Ink had said Spectrum's soul was, but there was a black outline around its edges.

Nightmare.

“Which is why I need ya to hand over your soul,” Error purred with a grin. “I'd like to get him out as soon as possible.”

You turned your gaze to the glitching man, eyes alighting upon his dripping aura and black strings. “Oh,” you muttered, eyes widening, “I get it now.”

Error raised an eyebrow ridge. “Do you? Do you _really_?”

With a small smile, you turned your whole body to face him. “Nightmare infected you with something before his imprisonment, didn't he?” you asked, grin widening as his expression fell. “That's why you're is dripping with darkness.”

Ink moved forward to stand at your side. “So all we need to do is get rid of Nightmare's hold on him?”

“I mean, if he was an ass before, he'll still be an ass,” you replied. “There's nothing I can do about that. At the very least, getting rid of Nightmare's influence might weaken him some.”

“Don't talk about me like I'm not here!” Error snarled out, familiar black strings launching toward your soul.

With a snap of your fingers, several bones appeared and cut the strings in half. “Excuse me, _sir_ , but we are having a conversation here.”

_“Do not become over confident.”_

“I'm not getting cocky, Gaster,” you grumbled back, frowning at the skeleton's words.

“as much as i'd love to discuss all of this, we should probably take care of error,” your Sans cut in, moving to your left side.

“so, pet, how do we do that?” Fell questioned, taking the spot on Classic's other side.

You summoned more bones, cutting off another of Error's attacks. “Hell if I know,” you muttered to yourself, glad that none of them had heard it. “Just get me access to his soul, and I'll handle the rest!”

“that,” Pap called, stepping forward to join the rest of you, “we can definitely do. ready, bro?”

“I, THE MAGNIFICENT SANS, WILL HELP THE OTHER ME'S AND THE WONDERFUL HUMAN!”

“Then get ready,” you yelled, lowering into a crouch, “'cause he's looking angry!”

Error stepped forward, disappearing from sight for just a moment. With your enhanced abilities, you tracked his magic, pushing Dream to the side as the other skeleton attempted to grab him. In seconds, different attacks were being launched from your companions.

Classic and Pap had summoned their own Gaster Blasters while Blueberry and Fell created bones from their magic. Error merely stepped back into the void, looking for a new place to appear.

“This is getting ridiculous!” you snarled out, watching as he reappeared at the other end of the area you had chosen as the battleground. “You don't stand a chance against us, Error! Just give up!”

“Oh? Sorry, I thought I had just gained an advantage!”

“bro!”

You spun on your heels, gaze alighting upon the source of the yell. Blueberry had summoned his own Gaster Blaster, its charging beam pointed directly at Pap. There were darkened strings dripping with Nightmare's goop around his soul. Tears streamed from the short skeleton's eyes.

“BROTHER, PLEASE MOVE! I CAN'T CONTROL IT!”

It was Ink who tackled Pap out of the way. “Snap out of it, Papyrus!”

Clenching your fists tightly, you turned a deadly gaze to a grinning Error. “You guys focus on keeping Blueberry occupied, and try to cut the strings if you can. I'll get Error.”

“that's what he wants, kid!”

“don't play into his hands, pet!”

“We don't have a choice!” you hissed back, clenching your jaw. “Error, I've made quite a few more friends on this journey you've sent me through, including ones that aren't here.”

“Oh? How does this effect me?” he purred, raising an eyebrow ridge.

“Because I refuse to let you destroy their homes!”

With those last words, you charged forward. Behind you, the feelings of hurt, concern, and confusion flashed from your companion's souls. All you could feel from Error was a sick determination to free Nightmare.

You had to double back several times in your charge in order to avoid Error's strings. They had pierced your skin in several places, and your HP was steadily dropping. More than once, you felt Gaster tug you to the side, trying to help you dodge the incoming attacks.

Just as you reached Error, ready to pull his aura from him, strings launched from all sides. Both arms were pinned to your sides, legs being forced to curl up underneath you. At least two or three strings wrapped around your neck, cutting off most of your air flow.

With a cry of pain, you were forced into the air.

“HUMAN, NO!”

A sharp bark of laughter escaped Error as he turned you so you could see your companions. Blueberry had been released, likely so your captor would have enough strings to ensnare his new prey; you. Classic and Fell's eye sockets were empty, the blazing eyes you had noted early having disappeared. None of your companions moved, likely concerned about making the wrong choice and sending you to your death.

“Like a rat in a trap,” Error purred, raising a hand to have more strings move toward your soul. “Sorry, puppet, but you'll be mine once I have Nightmare freed.”

As the first string wrapped around your soul, a pained cry left your throat, though it was joined by a smile.

“What? Are you _enjoying_ the pain, puppet?” Error asked, voice dripping with amusement.

“Not at all,” you managed through heavy breaths, stifling another cry as a second and third string joined the first. “Just happy.”

“Happy? Why the _fuck_ would you be happy?”

The strings around your throat lessened the pressure, making it easier to speak. “I've made a lot of good friends,” you explained, face softening. “And I know that they're going to be safe.”

“Why would that be, puppet?” Error purred, raising an eyebrow ridge. “You're about to lose.”

A fourth string joined the others around your soul, making tears start to rise in your eyes. “Sorry, Error, but you've made a grave mistake.”

“What?”

“I've taken in a soul before!”

With your words, the strings around your soul were absorbed into it. Error called out in surprise, immediately trying to take them back.

“Sorry, but I can't let you win!” you yelled, releasing all of the pent-up magic you could in one large burst.

The world went black.

 


	16. The Beginning of the End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting this just after the previous chapter because it's really short but I can't make it longer...
> 
> Enjoy this!

You groaned loudly, opening your eyes and taking in your surroundings. From what you could tell, this was the Void, the same place you had met your older skeletal companion whilst dreaming before. Gaster was standing above you, arms crossed and looking particularly unhappy. Some ways away, Error was laying on the ground, unmoving.

“Mornin', Gaster.”

“That was incredibly stupid.”

“Don't I know it,” you responded with a shrug, standing up and brushing off your clothes. As you did so, you noticed that you were still in your combined form, which was made stranger by the fact that Gaster was right in front of you. “Know what's going on outside of this place?”

“You have formed an impenetrable barrier of magic. From what little I can tell, all anyone can see is a glowing orb of the Spectrum colors.”

A sigh escaped your throat as you turned your gaze to Error. “So I dragged him in here, too?”

“He isn't the only one here,” Gaster grumbled, raising a hand to point behind you.

Feeling a strange sense of dread, you followed his own gaze. You immediately tensed. There was a whole slew of beings there, all of their souls floating above their heads. However, the most terrifying one of all was the being that completely lacked a soul.

“Nightmare.”

The Sans grinned, walking forward some but stopping when he seemed to hit an invisible barrier. “Nice to meet'cha, new Spectrum. Gotta say, I _love_ the look of ya.”

“They are not the _new_ Spectrum,” a quiet voice spoke up, its owner walking straight through the barrier. “They may possess my old soul, but they are their own being.”

Your eyes widened upon their words. “ _You're_ Spectrum?!”

“The one and only,” they responded with a small smile, turning to gesture behind Nightmare. “And they are the original fighters.”

“I don't get it. What's going on?!”

Spectrum smiled softly. “Do not fret, fighter. We have plenty of time to consider this problem. Your friends are safe.” They took a seat on the ground, gesturing for you to do the same. “Welcome to your soul. You have pulled your own consciousness in as well, which is understandable since you'll need to decide what to do with Error.”

“Do I even really have a choice?” you asked, sitting beside the other human.

“We all have choices, fighter.”

With a soft sigh, you looked around the area. “So that's Nightmare.”

The skeleton grinned at your question. “Of course. Didn't we cover this already?”

“There is no need to be rude, Nightmare,” Spectrum chided. “You are already locked within this soul, you can do little harm.”

“Unless that human releases me.” His gaze turned to you. “I can show you a hell of a good time if you do.”

You furrowed your eyebrows at his words, deciding to ignore the second part. “Why would I release you?”

“Because this soul is not strong enough to hold two entities,” Spectrum explained, turning their full attention back to you. “If you decide that Error is too dangerous to be allowed to roam free, you will have to swap his position with Nightmare's.”

“So I have to decide who is more dangerous?” you asked, voice almost too quiet to hear.

“You cannot expect them to make such a decision,” Gaster cut in, moving forward to stand just behind you. “They are both dangerous.”

Spectrum shrugged. “There _is_ technically another option.”

“Oh?”

“We stay in here for eternity,” they deadpanned, multicolored eyes locking onto yours. “Due to the special soul, we will never run out of magic. We can maintain that barrier forever. If we stay in this condition, none of us would be able to leave.”

“Meaning that Nightmare and Error both have to stay,” you hummed, biting your bottom lip.

“But you and Gaster will be forced to stay as well.”

“I can't even get Gaster out? He's technically still separated from this soul.”

Spectrum shook their head. “Sorry, fighter. You two were combined when this happened, not to mention that you would also be unable to expel Nightmare or Error.”

“I can't do that to Gaster!”

A hand lightly squeezed your shoulder, drawing your attention to its owner. “Please do not talk about me like I am _not_ present. I am capable of making my own decisions.”

“But if you stay here, you'll never get to talk to Sans and Papyrus!”

“If there is a way to completely protect them, I would much rather take that path.”

You groaned loudly, throwing yourself to the side. “This is ridiculous! There has to be another way!”

Spectrum sighed softly. “I am sorry, fighter. I am unaware of any other paths we may take.”

 

*****

 

“Has it been eternity yet?” you asked, gaze still trained on the empty white space that continued forever above you.

“Not since you asked five minutes ago,” Nightmare replied, sounding more annoyed than ever before.

You groaned in annoyance, moving to lay on your side. “Gaster, are they still outside?”

“Yes. They seem to be waiting for you to appear.”

Silence followed his words.

Eternity was going to take forever.

 

*****

 

You launched up from your spot, ignoring the awakening Error as you ran over to Spectrum. “What if I self destruct?”

At that, everyone's attention turned to you.

“I... pardon?” Spectrum managed, looking more confused than ever before.

“If I recall from my adoptive dad's lesson, self destruction is when a soul's owner effectively destroys their own soul, whether they realize what they're doing or not, right?”

Gaster looked up you from his spot nearby, where he had been writing down math equations. “That is correct, yes.”

“If I self destruct, then that would give Gaster plenty of time to separate from this soul and get out. _Plus_ , it would completely destroy Error and Nightmare.”

“Wasn't the original point to not kill Nightmare?” Error grumbled, moving into a sitting position.

“Eh, it would be the same fate,” Nightmare replied, shrugging. “My only chance outta here was you, and you blew it. Death would be much more welcomed than another eternity in here.”

Spectrum pulled their bottom lip into their mouth, chewing on it a bit. “That would definitely be possible, but it would also kill you in the process.”

“I'm sort of in the same boat as Nightmare though,” you replied, plopping down on the ground. “I'm never going to get to leave, right? Might as well go out with a bang.”

“It would definitely work, but there is no going back once you've started.”

It was Gaster who placed a hand on your head, looking down at you with a worried expression. “Please think it over first, child. I shall consider other options if _you_ consider it.”

You sighed rather loudly, giving a small nod. “If you say so.”

 

*****

 

Error poked you again, mouth lowered in a scowl. “Can we leave yet, puppet?”

“No,” you growled back. “And I'm not your damn puppet.”

“Why not?”

“Because I said so,” you mumbled, opening your eyes. The moment your gaze landed on Error, you launched from your position on the ground. “Oh my god, I completely forgot.”

Spectrum looked up from their spot by the barrier. “Is something wrong, fighter?”

“I forgot to purge Nightmare's influence from Error's aura!”

“Oi!” Nightmare growled, slamming a fist against the barrier. “I spent a lot of time taking his soul! It's a lot easier said then done, ya know!”

Gaster stood from his seat beside Spectrum. “That brings up a good point, actually,” he hummed. “If Nightmare is purged from Error, he may prove a less substantial threat. Ink and Dream must have been capable of defeating him before if this is the first time he has posed such a problem.”

“But be careful,” Spectrum cut in. “Some of Nightmare's magic may have seeped into his aura.”

“So he'll still be dangerous?” you asked, deflating some.

“This is something we can do about it,” the soulless human replied, moving over to you and Error. “You could essentially infect him with our soul.”

Error raised an eyebrow ridge. “Oh? Sounds ki-”

“If you finish that word, I will end you,” you growled, tossing a glare at the skeleton.

“By doing so, you'd effectively cancel out any of Nightmare's magic. It would also prevent anyone else from infecting him.”

“And we can keep Nightmare trapped in here, but let Error go,” you mumbled, eyes lighting up. “We have a chance!”

 

*****

 

Error grinned lazily up at you, eyes dulled somewhat as his soulless aura floated before him. The familiar, black, ink-like substance dripped from it, speed picking up over time. Nightmare was screaming from his spot on the other side of the barrier, clearly getting angrier as his hold over Error faded more and more.

“Is he going to be okay?” you asked, hands hovering over the amalgamated aura of the monster before you.

“He'll be fine,” Gaster said with a hum, one hand squeezing your shoulder comfortingly. “If I had to guess, the energy leaving his aura is creating a sort of high for him.”

“Lucky bastard,” you grumbled, flinching back a bit as some of the inky substance dripped onto your hand. “This is so gross.” Turning your gaze to Nightmare, you added, “you're gross.”

“Maybe I think that you're gross,” the dripping skeleton snarled back. “You with your stupid, fleshy, oddly attractive skin!”

“Wow. Great comeback,” you muttered, turning your gaze to Spectrum. “Going back to what he said, is there a reason I'm essentially a Sans attractor? If anyone knows, it's gotta be you, right?”

Spectrum laughed heartily. “Sans attractor, huh? As amusing as the term is, what causes the attraction does not only affect Sans.”

“But you know what it is?”

“The Spectrum soul was created within the Multiverse, from creatures from every universe. It is only a guess – though a very educated one – but I would say that any being who knows of the time lines or the alternate universes is attracted to the Spectrum Soul.”

You blinked a few times, letting the information wash over you. “Wait a minute. With that logic, Blueberry shouldn't have been attracted. Only Pap should have been.”

“Did you notice how Blueberry did not question the appearance of Ink?” Gaster spoke up, voice sounding contemplative. “I would hazard a guess and say that he knows of the Multiverse, even if his brother was not aware.”

“But he seemed so open about it! No one else grew so attached!”

“It's in his nature, I'd say,” Spectrum replied with a giggle. “I mean, hell, even Nightmare is attracted to you.”

“Shut up!”

Another laugh escaped the other human. “It's also the same reason Error wished to make you a puppet instead of merely killing you. He wanted you for himself.”

“That's really fucking creepy,” you grumbled, a shiver going up your spine as you tried to focus back on the aura.

The bright white of the aura had begun to shine through, the top becoming visible. As more and more of the ink dripped off, Nightmare's screams increased in strength and Error started to come to his senses. With the final drop hitting the ground, there was a flash of light.

“Ow,” Error groaned, stumbling into you. “This is probably the only time I'll agree with you, puppet. Good idea.”

You raised an eyebrow, still blinking the light from your eyes. “Glad you agree, buddy, but there's something else still.”

“I would suggest taking a deep breath,” Spectrum deadpanned as they stepped forward, placing a hand on the skeleton's aura amalgamate. “This is going to hurt.”

Error's scream echoed throughout the Void.

 

*****

 

Time passed strangely in the Void. While you had already spent over forty-eight hours in this area, Gaster informed you that just over an hour had passed outside. It was strange to consider that two days had gone by, with Error still asleep from your infection of his soul.

“You gonna self destruct yet?” Nightmare asked, glancing over to you.

“No. Stop asking.”

“I won't stop. It's the best course of action and you know it.”

You rolled your eyes, leaning back and staring up into the nothingness. Soon, you would have to make a choice, and that decision could either make or break the worlds you have come to know.

One, you could simply release Error back onto the world. He would be considerably weakened, but there was no saying what the consequences for you, Gaster, or the Spectrum Soul would be.

Two, you had the option to completely take away Error's magic, though there was no telling what the effects would be on any of you.

Three, you could create a new vessel for Nightmare and Error using the Spectrum Soul, effectively cutting them off without keeping them within your soul. But that would take a lot of magic power. Power you might not possess.

 

_If you thought that option one was the best, go to Epilogue One._

_If you thought that option two was the best, go to Epilogue Two._

_If you thought that option three was the best, go to Epilogue Three._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I want the Epilogues to come out at the same time and also be of good quality, it might be awhile. I hope you can bear with me.
> 
> In the mean time, consider your choice. It is quite the important one.


	17. Together Forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "One, you could simply release Error back onto the world. He would be considerably weakened, but there was no saying what the consequences for you, Gaster, or the Spectrum Soul would be."
> 
> You decided that Option One was the best. Face the consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This epilogue is being posted at the relative same time as the other two, so please read the epilogue for the choice you thought was best.

“kid! c'mon, kid! you've got to wake up!”

“don't leave us hangin', bud.”

“i didn't give you permission to die on us, pet.”

“THE MAGNIFICENT SANS WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO REMAIN LIKE THIS!”

“We've got Error. Dream and I have him safely locked up. You did it.”

“Please, human. We can't lose you like we lost Spectrum.”

You let out a groan, trying to block out the voices that were speaking over you. Everything seemed like a giant blur, and you didn't want to open your eyes just to see that Error had actually taken them over.

“i heard that, kid. it's time to get up. i'm the lazybones here.”

“WAIT A MINUTE! WAS THAT A PUN?”

“sorry, bro, but you shouldn't let it get _under your skin_.”

“BROTHER, NO!”

“heh. give them a break. we're all worked down _to the bone_.”

“YOU ARE ALL HORRIBLE MONSTERS.”

With a soft chuckle, you opened both of your eyes and smiled at those towering above you. “Good morning.”

Tears were pouring down all of the skeleton's faces. Ink actually turned away so he could puke up black paint all over the ground, the same liquid dripping from his eye sockets. While it was pretty gross, you decided to focus instead on the whole scenario.

“it's evening,” Pap replied, mouth lifting in a lazy grin.

“Whoops. Sorry.”

 _“It's been over three days for us at this point,”_ Gaster cut in, voice tired.

You shrugged, accepting Classic's hand as you sat up. “That's true.” Frowning a bit, you raised your right arm, studying the skeletal hand. “Uh, Gaster? Why are we still combined?”

_“We were formed together for much too long. I am no longer capable of separating from you.”_

You furrowed your eyebrows, scrunching up your face as you considered his statement. “What do you mean by that?”

_“Exactly what I said, human.”_

“Oh my god,” you muttered, ignoring the confused and worried stares of your companions. “I am _so_ sorry.”

_“It is not your fault. I am the one that suggested our joining in the first place.”_

A warm and bony hand lightly grasped onto your shoulder. “c'mon, kid, tell us what's going on.”

You shook your head, unable to admit it to Classic.

“alright, pet, that's enough,” one of the Sans' growled, grabbing your arms and pulling you to your feet.

“Fell!” Ink called out. “The human must be very tired. Please do not be so rough!”

“just tell us what's wrong, pet. get it off that mind of yours. you'll feel better.”

You finally raised your gaze, locking it onto Classic's concerned look. “I'm so sorry.”

“kid?”

Pap stepped forward, placing a hand on your head and forcing you to look at him. “you're stuck like that, aren't ya?”

Nearly everyone's eye lights vanished as you nodded in agreement. It wasn't that you were upset with your choice. If anything, you were upset that you had done this to _your_ Sans. He had done so much for you, and you couldn't even give him his dad back.

“I am _so_ sorry, Sans,” you mumbled again, managing a small smile when Malleus rubbed against your leg.

“is he still in there?”

You looked up in confusion, noting how serious Classic looked. “Yeah, he is.”

“can i, uh, talk to him?”

Tilting your head to the side, you hummed, “Gaster?”

_“Provided that you do not mind me talking through you.”_

You simply shook your head. “I don't mind. We're sorta, uh, sharing a body right now, anyway.”

A strange feeling flooded your body, and you soon found that instead of being aware of the things around you and reacting, it was more like experiencing someone's life through their eyes.

It was vaguely uncomfortable.

It felt _wrong_.

 **“00000, 000,”** your voice spoke of its own accord, shocking you a bit. _Hello, son,_ you felt your brain translate as it always did.

Nearly every Sans – plus Pap – there took a step forward, reveling in the words that most definitely did _not_ belong to you.

“dad?” Classic muttered, raising a shaky arm toward your body.

You smiled lightly, lifting the skeletal arm to pat him on the head. **“00 00 000000000 00 000 000 00000 00 0000, 000 00000 00 00000. 0000 000 00 000 000000, 0 000 0000000 000 0000 000000.”** Your head tilted, gaze taking in all of those around you. “I imagine it took a toll on all of you.” _It is wonderful to see you doing so well, and being so happy. With all of the resets, I was growing worried for your health. I imagine it took a toll on all of you._

Tears began streaming down all of their faces, though it was Classic who first hugged your body. All of the others soon joined.

 **“0 000 000 00 0000 00 00000 000 000 00 0000 0000000, 000 0 0000 0000 0000 00000 000 00 00000 00 000 000 000 0000 000 0000 000000000000.”** _I may not be able to speak for all of your Gasters, but I feel that they would all be proud of you for all that you have accomplished._

Within seconds, all of them, including Blueberry and Fell, were bawling in your arms.

 **“0 0000 00 000000 0 000000 0000 000 00000 00000 0000 0000, 00000 0 00 00000 00 00 0000 00 00000000000 00 000, 000 00000000 0000 0 00 000000 0000 00 000 0000000 00.”** _I feel as though I should give the human their body back, since I am lucky to be able to communicate at all, but remember that I am always here if you require me._

After a few blinks, you were in control of your body again. While it was nice to let Gaster take control and talk to his son – sons? – you weren't very fond of having your body move when it wasn't _you_ moving it.

A hand rubbing your head snapped you from your thoughts, bringing your attention to Classic. “thanks, kid. you might be sharing a body now, but thanks for letting me at least talk to my dad again.”

“THAT WAS SO COOL, HUMAN!” Blueberry cut in, bouncing up and down in front of you. “YOU DEFEATED ERROR AND EVERYTHING! YOU SAVED ALL OF US!”

“Speaking of,” you muttered, turning your gaze to where you could sense his aura. There were bonds of ink around his wrists, holding him in place while he grumbled to himself. “What's going to happen to him?”

Ink shrugged. “Dream and I will keep him locked up for as long as we can manage, but he's clearly a lot weaker than he was. Whatever you did, you've made him manageable again.”

With a small flinch, you tore your gaze away from the angry skeleton. “Yeah, let's not talk about what I had to do,” you mumbled, rubbing the back of your neck sheepishly. “Spending three days in the Void of one's soul is not the most pleasant way to spend time. Especially if you have to make a hard choice.”

“Hard choice?” Dream asked, looking up at you with those oh-so-bright eyes.

You couldn't _not_ explain when he gave _that_ look. “Well, I had a few options of how to deal with everything, but most of them were undesirable.”

“pet?”

Gesturing for everyone to take a seat, you began your explanation of all of your choices. Most of them seemed rather disturbed when you mentioned your idea of self-destruction, though they remained silent and let you finish.

“so it was three days for you?” Pap asked, lighting a cigarette and handing the lighter to Fell.

“Yeah, and even less enjoyable than you're probably imagining. The entire time, I had Nightmare telling me to self-destruct and just get it over with.”

Dream's eye sockets widened, but he remained silent.

“Plus, Spectrum wasn't helpful at _all_.”

At this, Ink perked up. “Spectrum? Do you mean the first one who possessed that soul?”

You nodded. “Yeah. They're pretty calm about the whole rebirth thing, to be honest. In anything, they were overly calm. From what I could tell, Nightmare and Spectrum have had since the latter died to talk since they're both trapped in the soul.”

“poor spectrum,” Pap muttered, shaking his head.

As the others began talking amongst themselves, random bits of what you had mentioned appearing from time to time, you started to doze off. It wasn't until you felt a few shakes on your shoulder that you opened your eyes again. Your Sans was standing above you, an honest grin on his face.

“ready to go home, kid?”

You nodded tiredly. “Looking forward to a good nap in my own bed.”

“MAKE SURE YOU COME VISIT AGAIN, HUMAN!” Blueberry cheered. “YOU'RE ALWAYS WELCOME TO STAY HERE!”

“my offer still stands,” Pap added, raising an eyebrow ridge.

“pfft. if pet visits anyone, it'd be me. if they don't want to go back with me in the first place, that is.”

“As much as I appreciate the offers, my main concern right now is my adoptive dad. He must be worried sick.”

Classic smiled a bit smugly at them.

“But if Ink would be willing to help, I'd love to visit.”

His smile lowered a bit.

Ink, noticing the degrading mood of your companion, stepped forward. “Dream, I'm going to take these two home. Could you take Fell back to his universe?”

“Of course!” he called, skipping over to the skeleton with the golden tooth. “I look forward to seeing you again, human!”

Ink lifted his paintbrush, painting a doorway in front of him. “Well, let's go, you two. It's time to go home.”

 


	18. A Skill Forever Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Two, you had the option to completely take away Error's magic, though there was no telling what the effects would be on any of you."
> 
> You decided that Option Two was the best. Face the consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This epilogue is being posted at the relative same time as the other two, so please read the epilogue for the choice you thought was best.

The first thing you were aware of was the voices around you. They alternated between quiet and loud, soft and gruff, never quite staying the same. While some sounded strangely like the same person, you were also aware of distinct differences.

With a groan of pain that silenced every noise in the area, you sat up. Feeling around a bit, you noted that you were in a rather plush bed. If memory served correctly, this must have been Blueberry's race car bed. Yawning rather loudly, you swung your legs over the edge of the bed and tested their strength against the chilled wooden floor.

As you tested each limb, you became aware of a distinct _lack_ of something. Lifting your gaze, you noticed that there were no souls in the room. Which was strange, because you were sure you'd heard voices right before you woke up. Regardless, you attempted to increase your Soul Sight to find out where everyone was in the house. At the very least, you assumed they wouldn't leave you alone, right?

Nothing.

Scrunching up your nose, you tried again.

Nothing.

Again.

Nothing.

 

AGAIN.

 

Nothing.

 

AGAIN!

 

…

 

Nothing.

 

You tried to force yourself to stand, legs immediately giving out. A cry of pain escaped as you hit the floor, elbows taking the brunt of the damage. As a rather warm hand grabbed your shoulder, you screamed and launched yourself against the bed. The hard wood of the race car dug into your sides as you tried to focus on anything.

It was then that you noticed the near-silent breathing.

“kid?” your Sans asked from nearby, right where you had been before. “what's wrong? are you okay?”

“Jesus, _fuck_ , Sans!” you snarled out. “How long have you even been here?!”

“uh, kid, i've been in here since we brought you here. so has everyone else. are you okay?”

“That's not possible,” you gasped, feeling tears start to rise in your eyes. “No!”

“hey, pet,” Fell grumbled from somewhere on your right. “tell me who's in this room right now.”

You frowned, the tears beginning to fall and stain the bandages. “C-Classic is here. So are you, Fell. And, uh...” A sob escaped you. “I-I can't tell! I can't see anything!”

Beside you, Classic sucked in a sharp breath. “calm down, kid, okay? it gets harder when you're panicked, right?”

“I couldn't see when I first woke up, either,” you cried, lifting your hands to your face. “Oh god, what I am going to do?!”

“so your soul sight's gone?” Pap asked, voice soft.

You only nodded, unable to speak.

“D-DON'T WORRY, HUMAN! YOU HAVE US TO HELP YOU!”

A thought occurred to you rather rapidly, left hand launching over to grab your right arm. When it was met by skin, you lifted your head.

“Oh my god, where's Gaster?!”

Classic carefully tapped your shoulder, bringing you in for a hug once he knew you were okay. “he's fine, kid, just resting. he separated from you right after error came out.”

“By the way,” Ink cut in, voice coming from what sounded to be the other side of the room, “what did you do to him? He tried to attack us, but nothing happened.”

You flinched back, the memory of your full infection of his soul slipping in. “He can't hurt any of you anymore.”

“what did you do, kid?” Pap asked, a slight tremor of honest terror seeping in.

Lowering your head, you gasped out, “I blocked his ability to access his magic.”

“holy shit, pet. you can _do_ that?!”

“It was Spectrum's idea,” you admitted. “By removing Nightmare's infection and replacing it fully with the Spectrum Soul's infection, we were able to place a blocker over his magic power. He _can't hurt any of you anymore._ ”

For a moment, there was nothing but silence in the area. During this pause, you felt Malleus nudge you softly before crawling into your lap. You carefully pet the dog, smiling at the familiar softness of his fur.

It was Ink who eventually broke the silence, asking, “did you say that it was Spectrum's idea?”

“Yeah, why?”

“You _spoke_ to the first person that had that soul?”

You nodded, placing a hand over your sternum, right where your soul was thrumming powerfully. “Spectrum and Nightmare, as well as everyone who _created_ the soul in the first place, were there when I was trapped inside. Apparently, they've been there since Spectrum died.”

“I'm happy to know that Nightmare is still okay, though,” Dream admitted, voice quiet. “Even if he did hurt people, he's still my brother.”

“Well,” you replied, smiling in his general direction, “the biggest complaint he had was that he was _really_ bored.”

A snort of laughter escaped Fell. “wouldn't you be?”

You heard rather loud scuffling, as if whoever was walking was trying to make sure you knew where they were. After a moment, it stopped in front of you. A bony hand patted your head softly while the other brought you in for a hug.

“FEEL FREE TO CRY MORE, HUMAN. YOU MAY THINK THAT YOU NEED TO BE STRONG, BUT IT IS GOOD TO CRY.”

“my bro's right. from what i know, people need to cry only after they've been strong for too long.”

“you've been stronger within the last couple hours than most have to be in their lifetimes, pet. i'll give you permission to cry, got that? so, go ahead, you little shit. it won't happen again.”

“Even Dream and I cry sometimes, human.”

“That's right! Ink and I do a lot of fighting, and we need to have the occasional break down!”

“have a good cry and get some sleep, kid. There are a lot of someones who care about you.”

And so, with all of the support from your new friends, you finally let everything out.

 

*****

 

When you awoke later, the first thing you did was call out to see if anyone was there. It was nerve-wracking to not be able to sense it – or anyone, for that matter. After getting no response, you carefully swung your feet over the edge of the bed and stood. A small yip following your movements informed you of Malleus' presence, though the idea not being able to see him sent shivers down your spine.

Soon enough, the pup was lightly pushing at your heels. When you tried to move against him, he ran to that side to stop you. Upon reaching the door, you realized what he was doing.

 _The smart little bastard was herding you_.

While the idea of being herded wasn't an entirely pleasant one, you appreciated the pup's way of helping you get around. As you moved through the upstairs of Pap and Blueberry's house, Malleus ran ahead and nudged you out of the way of a few different obstacles.

Your hand gripped the banister at the top of the stairs, your whole body immediately freezing.

 _This wasn't Blueberry's house_.

You carefully felt up the area around you, trying to get a hold on where ever you were. When that didn't work, you followed Malleus' instructions and went down the stairs. Vague uneasiness settled in your stomach as you moved through another door.

The sound of a cast-iron pan slamming into the floor sent both hands to your ears, trying to block out the sharp sound. Moments later, familiar and incredibly warm arms were wrapped around you, lifting you into the air.

“Child!”

“Dad?” you gasped out, immediately wrapping your arms around him. “Oh my god, dad!”

After another second or two of airtime, Grillby sat you back down on the ground. He leaned back, leaving his arms around you. “When Sans brought you back last night, you cannot imagine the relief I felt.”

“I'm so glad to be back,” you mumbled, burying your face in the man's warm chest.

A soft crackling, just like a dying fire, sounded from above you, Grillby's chest vibrating as he laughed. “Oh, and I should introduce you to an old friend of mine!”

“Yes. I probably only mentioned once or twice that I was a general in the first war with the humans. One of my close confidants and friend, Dr. W. D. Gaster, has returned from wherever he vanished,” Grillby explained, giving a soft huff. “I don't know how, but it is wonderful to have both my child and such a good companion returned to me at the same time.”

Your smile got a little wider. “Must be some sort of luck, huh, dad?”

The man chuckled again, getting you into one of the stools. “I shall go call him now. He will be very excited!”

Just after the door creaked shut, a shiver shot down your back. Moments later, the soft thump of boots against tile sounded.

“Hey.”

“Ink,” you breathed out, sighing in relief. “Is something wrong?”

“Not at all,” the skeleton replied, moving closer until he could place a hand on your shoulder. “Classic insisted that we bring you here to see your father again, but I wanted to extend an offer.”

“Offer?”

“Yes, though I suspect that you will wish to stay here an extra day or two regardless.” There was a pause, a wriggling Malleus being settled into you lap before Ink continued, “as I said earlier, I only brought you here upon Classic's instance. You are the only you in every universe, so you can be anywhere you chose.”

“W-wait a minute, are you saying-?”

“You can choose where you wish to live,” Ink cut in, the smile clear in his voice. “You can stay here in Undertale, or you can move into the Underfell or Underswap universes. Heck, I'll bring you to Beasttale or Undermafia if you really want.” There was a small, sheepish chuckle before he added, “or you can stay in the Multiverse with Dream and I. The choice is yours.”

A smile spread across your face. There wasn't even a need to think about that choice.

You knew where you wanted to go.

 


	19. Everybody Wins?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Three, you could create a new vessel for Nightmare and Error using the Spectrum Soul, effectively cutting them off without keeping them within your soul. But that would take a lot of magic power. Power you might not possess."
> 
> You decided that Option Three was the best. Face the consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This epilogue is being posted at the relative same time as the other two, so please read the epilogue for the choice you thought was best.

When you opened your eyes, the first thing you noticed were the two orbs of energy floating before you. Behind them, your companions stood in absolute shock. If you had to hazard a guess, it was more from your sudden appearance than the orbs.. That same feeling flowed from their souls in waves, almost forcing that same emotion onto you.

The choice you had made was incredibly dangerous, but it would lead to the best outcome.

Taking a deep breath, you raised the skeletal hand out to one of the orbs of energy. This one was dripping with some sort of black ink, the magical substance disintegrating before it could even hit the ground. As your hand traced the outer shell, the Spectrum Soul hovering just in front of your sternum shone brightly. Bright lights traveled down your arm, reflecting every possible color as they covered the orb of energy.

Little by little, the energy shrunk, becoming a rather small amulet that rested in the palm of your hand. Nodding resolutely, you gripped Nightmare's symbol tightly and moved onto the other orb of energy. This one was glitching slightly, dark blue strings dangling from it. With your free hand, you reached out and repeated the process.

Just as it had happened with Nightmare's orb, Error's grew smaller and smaller before it turned into a small amulet. With both in your hands, you turned your full attention to your companions.

Ignoring their shock the best you could, you made your way over to Ink and Dream. They stared up at you in confusion, that same emotion resonating from their souls. With a small smile, you help Nightmare's amulet out to Dream.

The small skeleton looked at you in uncertainty before taking the object and setting the necklace around his neck. “You're letting me take care of him?” he asked, voice barely audible.

You nodded. “That's how it should have been in the first place. He's _your_ brother, Dream.”

“Thank you,” he mumbled, looking up at you with tears falling from his eye sockets.

Smiling softly, you held out Error's amulet to Ink. “Someone needs to keep an eye on him. I can't think of anyone else better suited to this task.”

Ink grabbed the item with great care, hesitating only slightly before slipping it around his neck. “I can't believe you managed that! Even Spectrum couldn't, and you did it with two souls!” He raised his gaze to you, black tears pouring down his face in streams. “Thank you, _so_ much,” he managed before turning to the side to throw up black ink.

Gross.

With a small chuckle, you stood and moved away a bit. Now that Nightmare and Error were in safe hands, there was something else you had to take care of. Still facing your companions, you lifted both hands to the Spectrum Soul. With the utmost care, you plucked each of Gaster's Soul Shards from its connection.

You cupped your hands around Gaster's newly freed Soul Shards, allowing the power of the Spectrum Soul to once again move down your arms and into your palms. When you pulled away, his full soul floated in all of its glory, multicolored veins holding it together and replacing the pieces that were missing.

With a large _crack_ of the veil between the Void and reality breaking, Gaster appeared. He was in his lab coat, familiar turtleneck shirt and khakis underneath.

“dad?” Classic gasped out, running forward and barreling into the taller skeleton's arms.

Soon, the others followed. You figured that, while he wasn't _exactly_ their Gaster, he resembled their fathers just enough. Even Pap joined in the hug, though the doctor still had him by a head or too. The tallest of the skeletons did his best to hug them all, trying to pass around as much love as he could.

Tears were streaming from all of their sockets, but no one cared. Not even Fell.

“HUMAN?” you heard Blueberry mutter, bringing your attention to the present. “W-what's happening to your arm?”

A small, sad smile took residence on your face. Yeah, you'd seen this coming. Ignoring the confused expressions now being tossed your way, you lifted the skeletal arm that was still present. Parts of the phalanges were already gone, disappearing as wind took away their dust.

Classic rushed forward, grabbing the arm. “no, no, no, no, no! kid, you can't leave us now! what's happening?!”

“Ink?” you hummed quietly, feeling exhaustion settle in your bones. “What happened to the first Spectrum?”

Choking down a sob, the skeleton gasped out, “they died because their human body couldn't handle the magic.”

Dream let out a loud wail, ending it with, “they turned to dust!”

You nodded lightly, gazing back at your hand to notice that most of it had blown away. It seemed like you wouldn't have long.

“HUMAN, YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE US! I, THE MAGNIFICENT SANS, HAVE JUST MET YOU!”

Tears welled up in your eyes, and you found that you couldn't push them back. In all honesty, while you had made this choice being vaguely aware of the consequences, you were _afraid._ You were afraid of dying and never being able to live again. You were scared of never seeing anyone again.

Grillby had been such a good father figure. Surprisingly enough, he'd even been a good guy in the Underfell universe! And then there was Mettaton, who only wanted to help after he found out you were blind. Even your manager and coworker, Florin and Jamie, had helped you immeasurably without knowing much about you.

And then there were all of the Sanses and Papyruses you had met. Even though Mafia and Beast weren't here, they were just as important.

“dammit, kid! fight it! stay determined!”

Your Sans, Classic, had been the first to help break you from your fear of monsters. He saved you from your attacker and that fear, despite the fact he had honestly thought you hated him and his brother.

Speaking of his brother, Papyrus.... He was such a good guy. Out of everyone you had ever met, no one had held so much honest joy from meeting new people. Papy cared about everything with a ferocity you could barely began to comprehend.

“don't you dare fucking die, pet! you don't have my permission, dammit!”

After being forced into Underfell, that Sans honestly took care of you. He was so strange, in a way. Even though he consistently swore and claimed that he actually hated you, he _cared_. It was if that distance was his way of refusing to show any connection, even though one had clearly been formed.

And Boss. You had only met him a couple times, but he was a genuinely good guy. Underneath that layer of asshole, there was a monster who only wanted the best for everyone.

“HUMAN, PLEASE! YOU ARE OUR WONDERFUL HUMAN COMPANION! NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR YOU TO GO!”

In the Underswap dimension, Blueberry had quieted himself down upon meeting you, simply because you were scared. After that, he put all of his energy into trying to make you happy. If you smiled, he had felt accomplished. It was if his only goal in life was to make others feel some form of unbridled joy. Even if a lot of his caring seemed to come from affection, you had no doubt he put one-hundred percent into everything he did.

“c'mon, kid. we both know you're better than this. don't leave all these broken hearts behind.”

And of course, there was Pap. That idiot _really_ cared for his brother. Hell, he'd even gone so far just to try and get you to stay because his brother had developed a little crush. It was amazing how much energy he put into looking like he had none, just so the things he did seemed all that much more impressive.

“Please! Locking Error and my brother away in these amulets would mean nothing if you leave!”

“We can't lose you just like we lost Spectrum!”

Ink and Dream were the ones you had just met, but, during your time in the Spectrum Soul, the first Spectrum had spoken so highly of them. Both had clearly cared a great deal about the first, as did Spectrum feel the same for them.

These were your companions. People that had honestly grown to care for you. If anything, they were some of the first. Before getting to know the monsters, you had been all alone in the world. Very suddenly, you'd been thrust into a world where people _could_ care. A world where _you_ could care back.

Looking down, you realized that the whole arm had nearly blown away. With it, parts of your legs and torso were beginning to go. As each piece of ash blew away, you started to feel weaker and weaker. Before you, the Spectrum Soul was fading. It wouldn't break. For some reason or another, it was impossible for it break.

“kid!”

You looked up at your friends, tears of your own openly streaming down your face. “I love you guys, okay? Please don't mourn me. Remember how much I cared for each of you, and how you'll never have to worry about Nightmare or Error ever again.” With those words, you managed a smile. The last of your energy was fading, and they all knew it.

“kid, no!”

“pet, come back!”

“HUMAN!”

“Please, Spectrum, no....”

“Not you, too!”

“i love ya, kid. please don't leave me behind like this!”

A small sound escaped you, and you would never be sure if it was a sob or a chuckle.

All you were sure of was that becoming dust was oddly peaceful.

 

*****

 

Classic fell to his knees as the last piece of dust floated away into the air, the Spectrum Soul having long since faded. A loud keen of anguish escaped his throat, combing with Dream and Blueberry's sobs. Pap just turned away from the scene, angrily crushing his half-finished cigarette into the snowy ground. Fell was only saying 'fuck' over and over again, seemingly incapable of forming any other thoughts at that point. Some ways away, Gaster was staring blankly at the spot you had disappeared from.

Malleus ran at the spot you had last been, whining loudly and pawing at the ground.

Ink threw his brush on the ground, the oddly angry action shocking everyone in the vicinity. “No! This can't have happened again! I promised myself that we wouldn't lose them just like we lost Spectrum! Dammit!”

Dream sniffled a few more times, wiping away the yellow tears that had been streaming down his face before wrapping his arms around Ink. “Please don't be angry at yourself! They made that decision before we could even convince them otherwise!”

“are you trying to say that we couldn't have done _anything_?” Pap growled out, wheeling on the multidimensional duo. “because i sure as hell think there might have been _something_.”

“does it really matter what we think anymore?” Fell outright snarled. “if you hadn't noticed, pet is _already fucking gone_. go ahead and tell me what you could have fucking done. i'd love to hear it!”

“PLEASE DO NOT FIGHT EACH OTHER!”

Fell whirled on the starry-eyed skeleton, one eye blazing brightly in its socket. “and tell me why any of us should listen to a fuckin' runt like you?”

“hey! don't you dare talk to my bro like that!”

As Fell and Pap grew closer, magic coming off the two of them in waves, Blueberry yelled out, “THEY WOULDN'T WANT US TO FIGHT EACH OTHER!”

Any and all magic in the area fizzled out, leaving a strange taste in the air. Pap huffed loudly, turning away and lighting another cigarette. Fell just rolled his eyes before doing the same.

With a small sigh, Ink looked up, “I should probably take you guys home. Dream, can you take Fell back to his universe, please?”

Dream sniffled before nodding. “Are you ready to go, Fell?”

“let's just get the fuck outta here, already. i don't want to see this place ever again.”

Ink opened the portal for the two of them, handing Dream a special capsule that would allow him back into the multiverse before turning to Classic. “Ready to go home?”

That Sans shook his head, wiping away tears. “i have to tell their dad. grillbs is gonna be so upset. he was trying to get fuku home so he could introduce the two of them.”

Gaster laid a hand on his son's shoulder. “I shall do what I can.”

Classic's gaze shot to the man. “dad? when did you learn to speak something other than wingdings?”

The man gave a sad smile, pulling his soul out. “It would seem that they gave me a parting gift,” he said with a hum, gesturing toward the interwoven sections of the Spectrum Soul that now held him together. “It would seem that they did not forget a thing.”

“of course they didn't,” Pap muttered, stomping out his cigarette, barely used. “they were too damn smart for their own good.”

Blueberry watched his brother retreat into the house, gulping a little. “I will keep an eye on him. Will we see each other again?”

“I shall make sure to visit,” Ink answered, voice soft.

With a final nod, the usually bubbly skeleton lumbered into his house. His steps were slow, not a skip to be seen.

“We should get going,” Gaster said with a soft sigh. “Delaying the inevitable will not help.”

Sans gave a small nod at his father's words, finally lifting himself off of the ground. He wiped away any remaining traces of the tears, not bothering to check if his face was stained blue since he already knew the answer.

“Ready to go?” Ink asked again, gripping his paintbrush so tight the other two were honestly considering that he might snap it in half.

“yeah. might as well get this over with,” Sans grumbled.

With a soft sigh, the skeleton placed Malleus inside the jacket, hearing the small pup continue to whine. He struggled a bit, wanting to go back to the spot where you'd disappeared in hopes of finding you.

Yeah. Sans wished he could find you, too.

 

*****

 

Walking into the bar that night was the one thing that Sans knew he would absolutely hate. Grillby was sitting at the bar with a few other people, one of which the skeleton immediately recognized at Fuku. She must have heard about your disappearance from her father and flown in to comfort him. Papyrus was standing behind the counter, placing a magically injected glass of water – so the fire man could drink it – and some food in front of Grillby.

Mettaton, oddly enough, was also present. He'd probably come as soon as he'd finished his most recent concert. Undyne and Alphys were present too, though the only connection he could think of between you and them was the AI phone and computer program the lizard had been talking about for months.

Even stranger, Toriel and Asgore were present, Frisk sitting with their adoptive mother. While they had never met you, they were probably here to comfort Grillby.

“BROTHER!”

Everyone's gazes turned to him at Papyrus' voice. Grillby lagged a bit behind the others, looking for all the world that he expected nothing. For a moment, Sans _said_ nothing. Luckily for him, someone filled the silence.

“You must say _something_ ,” Gaster chimed in, huffing a bit as he came in the door to the bar.

“Dings!” Asgore called out, standing rather hastily from his seat.

“Doctor Gaster!” Alphys gasped, hands going to her mouth.

“Gaster?” Grillby muttered, flames shooting up in height at his surprise. “B-but you've been missing for years!”

The taller skeleton nodded. “An accident in the CORE, actually. Never expected to be able to stand here again.”

“D-DAD?”

Gaster looked up in surprise, smile widening at the sight of his other son. “Papyrus! You have grown so much! You used to be such a little baby bones!”

It was Alphys who raised her hands. “W-wait a minute, here! If there was an accident in the CORE, how are you possibly here? That would have killed you!”

“Sent me into the Void,” Gaster amended with a small smile. “It was the human who helped me actually. They could see my Soul Shards attempting to get out of the Void and saved me.”

Grillby shot up from his seat. “You're talking about my child!”

A huff escaped Sans as he looked to the side, tears welling up in his sockets. “yeah, they saved my dad.”

“S-SANS? WHY ARE YOU CRYING?”

A silence fell over the bar as the implications of the whole scenario settled in. Grillby fell back onto the stool, burying his head in his hands. Malleus jumped out of Sans' jacket and ran over to Papyrus, who was still in shock.

“BROTHER, IF YOU KNOW THAT THE LARGER HUMAN FOUND DAD, THEN WHERE ARE THEY?”

Toriel looked to the side, trying to hold back a sob at Papyrus' words. Even Undyne, who had never actually met you and wasn't prone to bouts of silence, was biting her lip in an effort to hold back _something_.

“BROTHER? WHY AREN'T YOU SAYING ANYTHING? THE HUMAN IS OKAY, RIGHT? ARE THEY HIDING OUTSIDE?” His voice was getting more and more desperate, orange tears starting to well up in his eye sockets.

Malleus whined louder, the sound starting to sound pained. By her father's side, Fuku had snapped out of her shock and was now attempting to comfort Grillby.

“BROTHER?” Papyrus choked out, lifting the puppy into his arms and cradling it to his chest. “WHY ARE YOU NOT SAYING ANYTHING? IT IS RUDE TO MAKE US WAIT! YOU HAVE ALWAYS COME THROUGH BEFORE! WHERE IS THE LARGER HUMAN?”

Sans choked back a sob, raising his eye lights to look at his brother. “the, uh, human isn't coming, bro.”

“THEN WHERE ARE THEY?! WE CAN GO TO THEM, RIGHT?!”

“they died!” Sans gasped out, blue tears finally spilling down his face. “they died helping a lot of people, including dad!”

That was when the most shocking thing happened. An honest sob escaped Grillby of all people. Streaks of what appeared to be lava were streaming from his eyes as pained wails escaped him.

No one had ever heard the man cry.

 


	20. The Happy End Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This special extension occurs after the ending of "Epilogue Three: Everybody Wins?".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos to those that realized I wasn't going to leave you like that. But hey, if you liked the sadness, feel free to stick with it.

The young adult stared at their reflection in the mirror, unable to build up the determination to do anything.

Again.

This was the fifth time that week. Sure, they had life made for them. After their last remaining family member – their amazing mother – passed, they had been left a hefty sum of money. For all intents and purposes, they could live a life of luxury.

Or they could be a hermit.

Or... anything really.

They had actually done quite a lot with their lives for someone so young. Had quite the run as a fortune teller since they could see souls. Already opened their own school. Had a successful art gallery chain, with some of their own pieces. There was so much they _could_ still do.

Unfortunately, nothing was actually appealing to them. With a rather loud sigh, the human returned to their room and climbed back into bed. Breakfast and lunch didn't sound that appealing anyway.

 

*****

 

“Oi!”

The human jumped up, confused to find themselves in a completely white space. Well, white aside from quite the number of people on the other side of a nearly invisible barrier.

“Uh..., where am I?” they asked, moving over to study the two closest to the barrier.

You grinned immediately. “Welcome to your soul, kid. Didn't expect to see you here so soon.”

“Uh....”

The other human punched you in the arm. “A little respect for the newest fighter, _please_ ,” they growled. “Anyway, my name is Spectrum.”

“Uh....”

“We're overloading them,” you muttered.

Spectrum punched you again. “Shut up, will you?” Sighing, they turned back to the confused human. “Would you mind keeping your mind open?” After a small nod, they said, quite simply, “this soul has been reborn for the second time. I possessed this soul first, and my companion here had it second.”

You waved with a grin.

They didn't wave back.

“Since it was reborn, we're residing in your soul.”

“Why?”

At that, your grin grew wider. “That is a _hell_ of a story.”

 

*****

 

The human puffed out a sigh, nodding their head. “Honestly, I'll believe it. There's no way I could actually dream any of this shit anyway.” They turned their gaze to you. “What I don't get is why _you're_ so happy.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Hey, I'm just glad I was able to help them so much.”

“You deserve so much more,” they argued back, frowning up at you. “I mean, you actually have this determination to live! I just sort of drag on and on. The universe owes you so much more than its given you.”

“Don't worry about it, kid,” you replied with a shrug. “Just try and live your life to the fullest, okay?”

The human eyed you curiously for a moment, idea clearly forming in their mind. “If you could get another chance, would you?”

“Of course I would. I mean, if Sans were still alive, I'd like to see him one last time. My dad, too.”

“I'm sure that they're still alive,” Spectrum spoke up, drawing your attention. “I mean, Frisk is likely dead, as are any other human companions, but monsters live a really long time. Skeletons live forever and boss monsters live for thousands of years.”

After a moment of pause, the newest Spectrum Soul reincarnation turned to you. “Want to switch places?”

You and Spectrum both froze, turning to the human.

“I, uh..., what?” you muttered, shifting to face your old companion. “Is that even possible?”

“Technically,” Spectrum replied. “As long as both parties are willing, then you should be able to switch sides of the inner soul barrier.” They turned to the human, eyebrows furrowed. “But that would effectively end your run on this life. You would be giving it to my friend.”

They shrugged. “I've gotten enough accomplished in my life. I mean, there's really nothing else I want to do. If you,” they said with a smile, turning to look directly at you, “have unfinished business, then go for it.”

Spectrum smiled lightly. “You guys are practically twins. Maybe the soul planned this out.”

You eyed the newcomer, standing from your spot so you were eye level with them. “Are you absolutely sure about this?”

They nodded, placing a hand on the barrier. “Yeah. I want to see you be happy, okay?”

You placed your hand opposite theirs, feeling the magic start to flare. “Yeah. Okay.”

 

*****

 

With a groan of pain, you opened your eyes to see... nothing. The area around you was completely black aside from the glow of the Spectrum Soul that was thrumming in your chest. As you floated about, concern rising, small... pages seemed to appear from nowhere. They circled around you, each one giving off an extremely different feeling.

Curiosity overwhelming you, you made your way over to one of the pages. As you stared at the blank sheet, images came to life. There was a view of your hometown, the monster district looking more lively than before. Clouds circled Mount Ebott in the distance. After flickering through a few different places, the page's image became a stationary painting of Classic.

“Undertale,” you muttered, immediately floating over to the next page.

This one showed a view of a cavern deep underground. Snow and dust mixed together in the light breeze that shifted the tree tops. A small town was barely visible in the distance, but you could recognize the malicious aura that seemed to come off of it.

“Underfell.” The word fell from your lips just as the image changed to one of Fell.

Each page after that followed the same pattern. Undermafia was next, with the views being mostly of warehouses. And then there was Beasttale, which you didn't recognize until Beast showed up. Of course, next came Underswap, showing what you now realized was the cave in Waterfall that Blueberry had shown you.

Finally, you came across a door. While there were no real images on the thing itself, bright stars and multicolored swirls were painted on it. If you had to hazard a guess, that would lead you to the Multiverse, where Dream and Ink were.

This meant that you had a choice. You had met a lot of people during your journey through the universes, and this must have been the soul's way of apologizing. It was giving you the opportunity to choose where you wanted to go.

Or, perhaps more appropriately, who you wanted to be with.

And you knew exactly which portal you wanted to go through.

 


	21. The Happy End - Classic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your happy end if you chose to go back to Undertale.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally meant to post all of the happy end chapters together, but I didn't want to make you all wait so much longer when I wasn't able to access my laptop or internet since the 23rd of December. It's not fair to you guys, so enjoy Classic's chapter while I work on everyone else's.
> 
> Oh, and if you want to know who I have lined up for endings, here they are (in no particular order):  
> ~ Dream/Ink (haven't decided if these will be different chapters yet)  
> ~ Blueberry and Pap  
> ~ Fell  
> ~ Mafia  
> ~ Beast
> 
> Also, I need someone to give me their art talents. I want to draw some of this stuff so bad (like the Reader/Gaster combination), but lack any drawing capabilities. Just send me all of your art skills, and I'll be pretty happy.

You awoke in the bed of the person's whose body you had been given.

The first thing you did was legally change your name back to what it was. Well, not technically the _first_ thing. In reality, what you had done immediately after getting the body was to check the year.

Four hundred years had passed since you'd died.

So much could change in such a long time, and you were scared. What if Sans had moved on? Well it would have been good for him to move on, it would also have made the whole point of taking this body so you could see him rather moot. What if Grillby had forgotten about you?

Shaking off those thoughts, and looking down at all of your new documents that were resting in the passenger's seat of the car, you took a deep breath. This body was yours, so it was too late to back out. The last owner was entrusting you to find Sans and Grillby. To find happiness and live it since you really could.

You turned on the GPS, listing off the town just outside Mount Ebott that used to be your home.

You wouldn't let this chance slip through your fingers, no matter the cost.

 

*****

 

You pulled up to the curb, allowing the car to idle for a moment before turning it off. Three weeks later, you'd finally made it to your hometown. While it would have been undeniably faster to take a plane, you wanted to be able to bring the few belongings that you wanted.

Plus it would have been a pain since you'd just changed your name 'back'.

Taking a few deep breaths, you stood from the car and looked over the house. While you were sure this _was_ the skeleton brothers' house, you weren't quite sure it was anymore. The yard seemed... off. Papyrus most definitely wouldn't have chosen that arrangement of plants, nor would he have chosen that color for the side paneling.

Shaking off any lingering hesitation, you walked up the cobblestone path and knocked on the door. After a few moments, a kind older woman opened it.

“Oh, hello! Is there anything I can help you with?”

You took a rather painful gulp, fear settling low in your gut. “I'm actually, uh, looking for some friends of my family. Would you happen to know a Sans and Papyrus?”

She scrunched her lips in thought before shaking her head. “Sorry, dear, but I can't seem to recall those names. The last owner of the house was a, um, Miss Lyree.”

“Oh, I see,” you muttered, feeling tears threaten to spill. “Thank you for your time, anyway.”

“Of course, dear. Have a good night!”

You walked slowly back to the car, slumping in the seat once the door was shut. What were you going to do now? In reality, of _course_ they moved out. Gaster probably moved in with them, meaning that they'd need an extra room. Was there even anywhere else to check?

You bolted upright in the seat, jabbing the key into the ignition and starting it. “GPS, take me to Grillby's Bar.”

This _had_ to work!

 

*****

 

When you pulled outside the bar, in the same exact place you remembered, hope swelled in your chest. Warm light filtered out from inside, lighting up the street. Inside, you could sense many souls.

Sans was there.

So were Papyrus and Grillby.

And Gaster.

And Mettaton.

And so many others.

Feeling a bit of apprehension, you grabbed your phone and checked the date, paling a bit at the sight. Today would mark the four-hundredth anniversary of both your death and Gaster's retrieval, for lack of a better term. You hoped that they were celebrating Gaster's reappearance, though a small part of you wanted them to be mourning you.

Just so you'd know that they cared.

Damn. Had the Spectrum Soul planned all of this down to the date?

Sucking it up, you grabbed your bag and climbed from the car, making sure to lock it as you went. At the front door, you quickly noticed a sign.

_'Closed for a private event.'_

That would explain why most of the souls you were sensing were familiar.

Taking a deep breath, you moved around to the familiar back entrance. The door that led into the house.

The door that led home.

You knocked, the sound so quiet that you weren't surprised when no one reacted inside. Gathering your courage, you knocked again, this time much louder. Within moments, Grillby's vaguely tired soul was moving toward the door. He seemed slightly confused, but was otherwise fine.

As the door opened, the tears finally streamed down your face. You managed a small, “dad?” as you stared up at the familiar man, glad to finally be able to see him.

There was silence for a few moments before it finally seemed to click for him. Within seconds, you were whisked away into comfortingly warm and familiar arms. Grillby cried into your shoulder, and you allowed the relief that was flooding from his soul to dispel any misgivings you had.

“Hey, dad?” you heard a feminine voice call, the door to the bar slamming shut as she spoke. “Is everything alright? You're taking a while.”

Grillby stood up straight, pulling you inside and shutting the door. “Fuku, this is my child.”

The green fire elemental stared at you in pure shock. “Oh my god. They look just like the photo, but... how?!”

“It's a long story,” you managed through your raging emotions, holding a hand out. “Hi, Fuku. I'd heard so much about you.”

The girl wrapped you up in her own arms, spinning you a few times before setting you down. “Whether or not I understand how you're here and also not blind can go on the back burner for now,” she declared. “What's important is that Sans' mate is back!”

You felt heat rise in your cheeks as you pushed back. “W-wait, mate?!”

Fuku grinned down at you, chuckling. “Oh, _please_ , from what dad's told me, you were smitten.” Suddenly, she brightened, grabbing your arm. “Oh my god, he's going to be so happy when he sees you!”

“F-Fuku, I really don't think that's a good idea!”

“Don't worry a mite about it, sibling o' mine! That poor skeleton comes over at this time every year, and it's not to celebrate his dad's return!”

“Yeah, but maybe we should be a bit more tactful!”

Fuku just laughed. “Who cares about tact at a time like this?” She pushed open the door to the bar and shoved you through it. “Sans! Look what dad and I just found!”

You turned back to the green fire elemental, trying to tone down your blush. “Fuku, _really_?!”

The shattering of a glass against the wooden floor of the bar distracted you from your argument, turning your attention to the building's occupants and away from the fire elementals in the doorway.

Sans was the first one you noticed, eye lights gone and hand raised as if he had been holding a drink. At his feet, there was a shattered shot glass surrounded by a puddle of something that look particularly strong.

Sitting at one of the tables, clearly next to where Sans had been sitting if the sheer number of glasses were evidence, was Papyrus. His mouth was merely gaping open, unable to believe the sight before him.

Beside the taller of the skeleton brothers sat Mettaton, eyes rapidly blinking as it he thought there was a glitch in his system. On the other side of the empty seat was an incredibly confused Gaster.

There were a few other monsters you didn't recognize as well, including two goat monsters, a really angry-looking flower, some sort of lizard, and a... fish...?

Before you could study these newcomers with your Soul Sight, you were wrapped up in a pair of long, bony arms. The skeleton didn't even bother saying anything until he'd spun you around enough times to make you a little sick to your stomach.

“NYEH HEH HEH, HUMAN! YOU HAVE RETURNED TO US! WE WERE ALL CERTAIN THAT YOU HAD DIED!”

You tapped his shoulder, smiling gratefully when he stopped spinning. “I, uh, _did_ die, but it's a long story as to how exactly I was able to get back.”

“I imagine,” Gaster hummed, joining the hug. “Considering how long it has been since we saw you pass.”

“Not my choice,” you grumbled.

Any other complaints you had were tossed out as mechanical arms looped around you and the two skeletons hugging you, lifting the three of you into the air.

“Darling, it is so wonderful to see you again! We have been missing you so!”

A happy giggle escaped you at the warm treatment. Nearly every concern you had about this whole situation had long since disappeared. With each new embrace, you wanted to thank the human that had given you their body. This life was the one you _wanted_ to live.

The life that had been torn from you when you decided to put everyone else above your own well being.

Fuku came forward, slowly prying Mettaton's arms from you before forcing Papyrus and Gaster to let go. When they turned to her in clear confusion, she merely said, “I think that there's someone else who needs hug a lot more than you guys do.”

All eyes in the room turned to Sans, who had yet to move since your rather magnificent entry earlier. You swallowed hard, feeling the tears start to flow anew as you smiled at the shorter skeleton.

“Hey, Sans,” you hummed, smile getting wider with each moment that passed. “I'm home.”

The shock that had been over the man's soul broke like a dam, happiness and relief flooding from it in uncontrollable waves. He appeared beside you in a flash of magic, wrapping his arms around you and pulling you as close as he could. Each breath came out in a string of sobs, the skeleton unable to get anything else out.

“Hey,” you muttered, rubbing his skull as tenderly as you could manage. “Guess we have a lot to _ketchup_ on, huh?”

A small snort of amusement made it into the sobs, and you both did your best to ignore Papyrus' playful glare that accompanied the pun.

“You know me,” you continued, doing your best to forget about the tears flowing down your face. “I never _patella_ a _fibula_ , so I'll just have to let you know that I'm really glad to be back home.”

“shouldn't have let so much time _pasta_ away,” Sans mumbled.

You lowered one arm to wrap around Sans, smile growing at his words. “Sometimes, I can be a pretty big _bone_ head.”

“yeah. you can sound non _sans_ ical,” he replied, finally leaning back so he could look up at you. His eye lights, which were usually reflected as nothing more than a couple dots, were both lit up as brights hearts. “knock, knock.”

“Who's there?”

“honeydew.”

A content grin tugged at your lips. “Honeydew who?”

“honeydew you know how glad i am to see ya?”

You tried wiping away some tears, managing some sound that was some horrible combination of a sob and a chuckle. Two bony hands lifted, pulling your arms away from your face. Before you could question the action, they were replaced with what you imagined was supposed to be a kiss.

In reality, Sans didn't actually have lips. Instead, he just pressed his teeth to your cheeks in an attempt at a kiss. The action still brought a bright flush to your cheeks, though, so you returned the favor with a soft kiss of your own to the center of his teeth. When he pulled away, heart eyes shining brighter than before, there was a bright blue blush painted across his cheeks.

“i don't think i ever formally asked you to be my verta _bae_ ,” he mumbled. “so what d'ya say? wanna be stuck with me forever?”

A small chuckle escaped you as your arms wrapped around his rather thin frame again. “I don't know,” you hummed. “Sounds too good to be true.”

“That sounds like a yes to me!” Fuku yelled, reminding you that the room was full of people.

When you tried to jump back in embarrassment, Sans tightened his grip and absolutely refused to let you go.

“I KNEW IT! BROTHER, YOU MUST HAVE READ ALL OF THE DATING MANUAL!”

Grillby walked forward, patting you on the shoulder. “I am glad that you are back _and_ happy, child. I could not have asked for anything more as a parent.” His gaze shifted over to Sans. “You, however, I will have a very long chat with in the near future.”

“As will I,” Gaster chimed in, still grinning. “I must make sure that my son treats my future child-in-law with great respect.”

“oh my god, dad.”

You let loose a chuckle, letting it burst into full out laughter. Over the years that you'd been gone, stuck in the Void, you'd missed this. These people were all so amazing. Every single one of them could fill your heart with a joy that was absolutely irreplaceable.

“hey, sweetheart, help me here,” Sans begged, pulling you from your happy laughter. “i think they're gonna threaten me.”

You rolled your eyes at the short skeleton. “First of all, they're only going to have a _violent_ discussion.”

Grillby and Papyrus both chuckled, fond memories of that particular day all those years ago resurfacing.

“Secondly, as long as they're not threatening me, I'm fine.”

“oh, i'm wounded. my mate has left me to the wolves.”

You chuckled, giving his head a few pats. “If I'd left you to the wolves, they'd do nothing but gnaw at your bones, honeydew.”

Familiar laughter filled the room, combined with that of those you still had yet to meet. Your life now had so much ahead of it. You could spend your time meeting all of Grillby and Sans' friends, not to mention that you still had to put time aside to meet with those from the other universes.

But now you _had_ that time.

And you weren't planning on wasting a single second of it.

 


	22. The Happy End - Fell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your happy end if you chose to go to Underfell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mmmmmm...
> 
> Have a chapter.
> 
> I don't know which one I'll be working on next, but I'm hoping to have it out in a week. Sorry for the lateness of this, I'm getting over a visit to the ER and the illness that caused it.
> 
> In the meantime, you guys should give me some feedback on what you want to see for the Sequel. I've already decided a couple things about the 'new' Reader character, but I want to here an answer to these;  
> Do you want the next Reader to be blind in one eye or not at all?  
> What universes would you like to see?  
> (For questions as they appear, visit my Tumblr; I'll post the link below)
> 
> Thanks for the feedback, I've been working on the story line for the Sequel.  
> And, as always, please point out any mistakes so I can fix them! Thank you all so much!

Find my Tumblr [here](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/princesscipherite)

 

One of the last things you had been expecting after touching the Underfell page was that you would appear in a tree in a snowy forest. After some struggling, you ended up falling out of the tree and right into a snow poff. Once back on your feet – and shivering wildly – you cursed the last owner of your body for wearing a t-shirt and shorts to bed the night they had entered their soul.

You mumbled a few more curses under your breath before adjusting your clothes and taking off into the woods. It wasn't long before you managed to get out of the forest, but the area itself wasn't recognizable by any means. In fact, the only thing that served as a landmark was the roof of the cavern you were in far above you.

If that was anything to go by, you were underground. How much time had passed since you had died? In all honesty, you had no idea. Had the Fell universe finally escaped the underground for good? A part of you hoped they hadn't. There was no way you would be able to find Fell _or_ Boss if they were living above ground. It would have been a hell of a waste of this new life if you spent it searching for them with no luck.

After a few dead ends, you cross a bridge and spotted a sign that made your heart soar. “Welcome to Snowdin,” you read aloud, taking a deep breath as you turned your full attention to the town itself.

…

Your heart sank. No one was anywhere. The crunching of the snow beneath your feet – no shoes, since they hadn't worn them to bed – echoed in the pure silence. Hell, even the clear malice in the air had vanished completely.

You were alone.

As least, you thought you were until you heard someone's feet crunching the snow some ways away. Feeling fear clench in your chest, you ran behind the nearest building. Oddly enough, the bar still smelt of grease. As you crouched beside the – locked, you had already checked – back door to Grillby's in an attempt to hide, the crunching snow paused.

“the hell? these are human footprints,” the voice snarled, making your heart soar once more. It was Fell! “i can see your tracks, ya little shit. get out here. ya know the underground is off limits to the humans.”

You stood up, your legs shaking and reminding you of how cold it was. Shivering violently, you leaned against the wall of Grillby's and turned the corner. “F-Fell?” you stuttered out, raising your gaze.

The small skeleton's eye lights vanished as surprise and confusion took over his soul. His mouth was turned down in a frown, hands deep in the pockets of that all-to-familiar jacket.

The edges of your lips quirked up, though you could feel your knees start to lose their strength. “I'm so lucky. I thought I'd never find you,” you murmured.

Fell didn't move, his confusion only worsening.

“I'm so glad,” you hummed, trying to give him the brightest smile you could manage as your knees gave out and you fell into the snow.

“shit, pet!” Fell disappeared for a moment, reappearing right beside you and lifting you out of the snow. Once you were safely in his arms, he started running through Snowdin. “what the hell?! where are your shoes? why aren't you wearing a goddamned jacket?!”

“This is what I was wearing when I was given the choice,” you replied honestly, turning to bury your head into his chest. “I didn't know I was going to be brought to Snowdin.”

Fell snarled loudly, practically kicking open the door to a two-story house. “goddamn it, ya idiot.”

“I don't think the owners of the house will appreciate you kicking their door like that,” you mumbled, groaning in displeasure as he laid you down on a couch.

“it's my house, pet. and no one else is here anymore. i took a short cut here because i sensed a huge surge of magical energy,” he explained, tossing his jacket over your shivering frame. “must've been you.”

“Probably,” you hummed back, happily burying your face into the familiar smell.

“as nice as the sight of you enjoying my scent is, pet, that's supposed to be for you to _wear_.”

A bit sluggishly, you tugged on the jacket. It was still warm from his having been wearing it, and the feeling of it reminded you of when you had last worn it. The first time he had given you the sweatshirt, ARP had explained that it was to solidify the idea for the other monsters that you and Fell were dating. The main concern there was that, if they didn't believe it, they would kill you. Both this time and last, he had given it to you to protect you.

“I got to come back after the soul was reborn,” you hummed, burying your face in the warm, fluffy hood of his sweatshirt. “But I had to make a choice.”

“a choice?” Fell asked as he flitted about the house, gathering blankets, pillows, and a warm drink. He gave you a look as you stared off into space instead of responding, but just sighed and surrounded you in the blankets. “this should warm ya up.”

“Mm,” you mumbled tiredly, turning your gaze to him as he went to grab the drink he'd been heating up. “I had to choose which universe to go to.”

The mug Fell had been holding crashed into the ground, shattering into hundreds of little pieces. “you what?”

“You broke that mug. What did the mug ever do to you?”

Fell rushed over to the couch, kneeling so he was eye level with you. “you _chose_ to come _here_? instead of undertale or underswap?”

“Mmhmm,” you hummed, trying to keep your eyes open, and failing miserably. “Wanted to be with you.” The last word trailed off as sleep overtook you.

 

*****

 

A yawn escaped as you awoke once more. Your right side was oddly cold considering that there was a huge warmth coming from your left. With a bit of hesitation, you forced your eyes to flutter open. There was still a concern that when you looked around, you would find that Spectrum was sleeping against your side and you were back within the confines of the soul, but you wanted to find out.

It took a few moments for your eyes to adjust to the darkness of the room, but your heart swelled. The Spectrum Soul had always shone brightly, blinding you every time you woke up. The first thing you noticed in the immediate area was the end table in front of you, a mug on it. From what you could tell, it seemed to be full of hot chocolate.

Around your shoulders was what appeared to be at least five different blankets. Raising an eyebrow, you turned your gaze to your left. Your breath caught in your throat as you spotted _what_ had been warming you up. Fell was beside you, underneath the blankets as well. There was a bit of drool on his shoulder, from when you had been sleeping, no doubt. Soft snoring escaped him, and you briefly wondering how he could snore without lungs.

Then again, how did he even breathe?

Shaking that thought from your mind, you slid the end table to the side and moved to get up. A hand gripped your side tightly, pulling you closer to Fell. You hadn't even realized that his arm had been around you.

“Fell,” you mumbled, using the arm that wasn't trapped between the two of you to shake him a little. “Wake up.”

The skeleton grumbled in response, pulling you even closer. Trying to ignore the heat rising in your cheeks, you lifted the arm away from your hip and slid away. The small smile on his face fell away as he shifted around in an effort to find you. You managed to escape before he did, putting a pillow from the couch where you had been. Fell calmed down somewhat, but you noted that his smile didn't return.

Taking a small sigh of relief, you looked around the room. It was a bit darker than you had imagined, though you weren't too surprised. You followed your memories of what the house had been like, making your way up the stairs and to the door furthest down the hall. The handle fell apart as you touched it, and you barely managed to catch it before it clattered to the ground. Leaning over the banister, you made sure Fell was still asleep. After being positive he was, you pushed the door to his bedroom open and slipped in.

It smelled awful.

Zipping up Fell's sweatshirt and burying your face in the fluffy hood, you ventured further in. His bed was off to the right, merely a mattress on the ground with no sheets and one, flimsy blanket. Trash littered the floor, and there was actually a... tornado made of it in one corner.

You could be messy, but this was a little ridiculous.

A crash downstairs shot your attention to the door. As you stared at the wood in confusion, Fell appeared in a flash of red magic. His left eye was blazing red, the light in his right socket having completely disappeared. As his gaze landed on you, relief flooded from his soul. He vanished for a moment, just to reappear in front of you. Two arms moved around your midsection, gripping you tightly.

“what the _fuck_ , pet?” he snarled out. “ _don't ever do that again_.”

“Go into you room?” you replied, raising a hand to rub his skull comfortingly.

“ya little shit. i meant _disappearing_. i finally had ya back and you were _gone_ when i woke up.”

You sniffled, smiling down at him and hugging him. “Sorry. I promise that I won't do it again.”

“good.”

 

*****

 

After holding you for nearly ten minutes, Fell dragged you into the bathroom and mumbled something about you showering so you could change into something more suited to being in 'the coldest fucking place in the underground'. He came in at one point while you were showering, letting you know that a towel and some clothes were on the sink whenever you were done.

Also, that you were free to use his body wash because why would he argue with you smelling like him?

Regardless, you finished up the shower as soon as you could, gladly putting on the offered clothes. You noted with a grin that Sans' sweatshirt was among the other articles, and gladly slipped it over your shoulders.

It was strange to be like this again. The Spectrum Soul wasn't made to give opportunities for its occupants to eat, drink, shower, or anything other than sleep and talk, really. The person who had actually been reborn with this soul had given you a chance, and this was one thing you weren't going to give up.

“oi! ya almost done up there, pet? boss is wonderin' where i am.”

You zipped up the jacket, slipping out the bathroom door. “Coming!”

 

*****

 

Traveling through Waterfall and Hotland was fun, even if your shoes got soaked in the former and you had to take off Sans' sweatshirt in the latter. Around the time you reached the castle, which Sans assured you was the exit to the Underground, a thought occurred to you. Would anyone else remember you? At the very least, Grillby, Mettaton, and Papyrus had actually met you.

What if this wasn't the same time line?

“pet?”

You jumped at the sound of his voice, eyes shooting up to look at Sans. His soul was displaying clear concern, and it took a moment for you to realize that you had stopped walking.

“Can I ask you something?”

“'course, just hurry it up.”

One of your hands gripped your other arm, rubbing it in your nervousness. “Well, uh..., I was wondering....”

“spit it out, pet. what the fuck's the matter?”

“Is anyone else going to remember me?”

Sans froze, eye lights disappearing for just a second. “hell if I know. let's find out.”

His soul was suggesting he didn't think so.

You merely nodded, trailing behind him a bit as you started walking once more. Sans was silent for the rest of the walk, seeming to think about what you had brought up. When the light from outside first appeared, you had to cover your eyes. It seemed to be the middle of the day, and the sunlight was fairly harsh.

“What season is it?”

“fall.”

“So the trees should be really pretty,” you hummed, starting to pick up your pace.

It had been so long since you'd seen the fall foliage.

“that excited about some fucking leaves?”

You glanced back, picking up the jealousy in his soul and raising an eyebrow. “Well, I was much more happy to see you again.” At his resulting blush – how did skeletons blush again? – you continued your trek forward.

The sun was shining over the mountains in the distance, forcing all of your attention to its beauty. Its warmth was something that you appreciated when you were blind, and the sight itself was more than you had ever remembered.

“SANS!” a familiar voice called. “WHY IS THIS HUMAN NEAR THE MOUNTAIN? I THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO GRAB SOMETHING.”

You flinched, turning toward the owner of the yelling. Boss stood there, glowering down at you.

“oh, hey, boss.”

Taking a hard gulp, you took the time to look around. While being distracted by the feeling and sight of sunlight, you had failed to notice the large group of monsters and a human nearby. From those that you recognized from their descriptions and souls were Papyrus, Grillby, and Mettaton. There were also two goat-like monsters, some sort of fish, a lizard, and a human child carrying a flower monster in a pot.

“O-oh, does the h-human need to be punished?” the lizard asked, starting to look a little excited. “I-I've needed a n-new subject.”

You took a step back, shaking your head.

“I can make sure the PUNK never comes back!”

When Boss moved to step froward, you squeaked out, “you value justice!”

The skeleton froze, surprise and confusion flashing through his soul. “Pardon?” he asked, voice quiet.

“You have a yellow Soul Spark!”

As this, Grillby came forward. You flinched away a little as he raised a hand, but ultimately stayed in the same place. The fire elemental slowly pulled the hood of Sans' sweatshirt over your head, covering your face.

“It's you,” he hummed, slipping something out from around his neck and handing it over.

You gasped at the sight, grabbing the pendant your adoptive father had given you. “My necklace!” you called, tears rising in your eyes as you hugged it close to you. “I thought I'd lost it.”

“I do not remember finding it, nor really meeting you, but I seem to recall your existence and that I had chosen to protect you.”

A sharp sob escaped your throat, the tears spilling down your cheeks. “I thought I'd never find it!”

“WAIT A MINUTE. YOU WERE THE STRANGE MONSTER MY BROTHER CHOSE AS HIS MATE?”

You looked up, ignoring the confusion coming from Fell. “You remember me, too, Boss?”

“HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A HUMAN?”

A soft chuckle escaped you. “The whole time.”

“I KNEW YOU HAD WEIRD TASTE, SANS. THIS IS YOUR STRANGEST CHOICE YET.” The skeleton eyed you for a moment before stepping forward. “BUT A SMART ONE. YOU MAY CALL ME PAPYRUS.”

“Nice to properly meet you, Papyrus,” you said with a smile, shaking the offered hand.

“THE SAME GOES TO YOU, WEAK HUMAN.”

“Oh, wow, thanks.”

Grillby seemed to smile, content flooding from his soul as he protectively gripped your shoulder. “I am glad that you have returned. Shall we go get lunch?”

“uh, actually, I was thinkin' i'd take 'em out to eat.”

“Are you suggesting that I should be unable to take my child out?” Grillby questioned, flames crackling dangerously.

Before the situation could escalate any further, you slipped out of the man's grip and moved over to Fell. “I'd actually like to stay with Sans for now,” you admitted with a sheepish smile.

“like i'd let you leave.”

“I wouldn't want to.”

 


	23. The Happy End - Blueberry and Pap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH GOD I'M SO SORRY

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Your eyes shot open with a gasp, attempting to take in your surroundings and figure out what had just happened. From what little you could tell, it seemed like you were in the suburbs. Houses with little white picket fences and immaculately groomed lawns dotted the streets, but you didn't recognize the area one bit.

After realizing you were in the road – and subsequently getting _out_ of said road – you started one way down the street. Several PTA and soccer moms shot you disgusted glances, likely at your pajamas and lack of shoes. Who knew what they thought of you, walking around like that?

Sighing softly, you looked around once more. You had gladly chosen to go to the Underswap universe, but what if you were completely unable to find the brothers? Hell, it had been so long. What if Pap's invitation to stay didn't even stand anymore?

A shiver went up your spine at the thought, though you quickly realized it wasn't just your thoughts making you shiver. It was _freezing_ out, and you were in the thin pajamas the newest reincarnation had worn to bed the night they gave you their body.

Freezing to death before you even found the brothers would have been pretty damn pitiful.

But that's when you heard the familiar voice.

“BROTHER, WHY ARE YOU SUDDENLY INTERESTED IN MY WALKS?”

“i dunno,” Pap replied, his voice softer and almost inaudible.

“SHOULD I GET THE THERMOMETER?”

Taking a deep breath, the sudden intake of cold air stinging your lungs, you headed in the direction of the voices. They got even louder as you approached, the continuation of whatever ridiculous argument they were having about Pap's sudden desire for exercise.

Which, admittedly, worried you a bit, too.

You turned a corner, nearly bumping into a tall figure. Shaking your head clear, you quickly apologized. Now wasn't the time to be spacing out. You had to figure out where Blueberry and Pap were!

“H-HUMAN?!”

You paused mid-step, raising your bleary gaze to the man you had walked into and his apparent companion. How tired and cold were you that you could walk directly into the two men you had been searching for and _not notice_? Pap had raised his hands, both just a breath away from your shoulders. Beside him, Blueberry's eye sockets had begun to fill with tears.

“O-oh. H-hey, guys.” You grinned happily. “It's a, uh, bit chilly out, huh?”

Pap finally took in your appearance, jaw falling slack. “holy shit, what are you wearing?” he gasped out, immediately slipping off his sweatshirt and forcing it over your head.

Blueberry quickly followed suit, ignoring his brother's swear for the moment to tie his scarf around your neck and shove his gloves onto your hands. “HUMAN, YOU ARE GOING TO CATCH A COLD!”

“Nah. Though if the fact I'm starting to not feel cold suddenly is any indication, maybe getting inside would be good?” you asked hopefully, smiling at them in what you hoped was a reassuring manner.

Pap reached out, grabbing you and his brother in each hand before – one blink later – you were in a home you didn't recognize. The floor was hardwood, though there were a few rugs plastered tastefully about. A sock sat next to the television stand, a literal _string_ of sticky notes on it. Action figures and awards dotted the shelves and free spaces.

It felt very homely, in the best way.

“THIS WAY, HUMAN. YOU SHOULD REST ON THE COUCH.”

“i'll get some blankets.”

“I'LL START SOME TACOS.”

A small chuckle escaped you, causing both boys to glance over in concern. “Are they going to be friendship tacos?” you questioned, tearing your gaze away from a photo of the brothers and a human child.

Blueberry grinned, the blue lights in his eyes briefly shifting from the stars to something else. It happened too fast for you to catch it, but you couldn't help but wonder if his eye lights could take more forms than the stars.

“OF COURSE, HUMAN! PLEASE WAIT HERE WHILE I START COOKING!”

Your eyes widened a bit. “W-wait... have you, uh, practiced your cooking more?”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN?”

Pap chuckled, walking closer and leaning in to whisper, “he's practiced ever since you left.” The humor left his voice as he added, “wanted to perfect it before you came back.”

A frown overtook your face. “But..., I wasn't supposed to be able to-”

“i know.”

“WHAT ARE YOU TWO TALKING ABOUT?”

You cleared your throat, making sure that you were smiling when you turned your attention back toward Blueberry. “Just about how your dishes have become even more amazing than last time I tried them,” you replied.

The small skeleton's eyes flickered to that something else again, too quick for your eyes to catch. “WOWIE, I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HOW MUCH YOU LOV- I MEAN LIKE THEM!”

A chuckle escaped you as he skipped off. Beside you, Pap let loose a short laugh of his own. The man shook his head a few times before heading up the stairs. Near silence filled the house after that, the only sounds coming from the sizzling of taco meat and Pap's footsteps as he dug around for some blankets.

You pulled your knees to your chest, considering the situation that you know found yourself in, and how you had gotten here. But, perhaps even more importantly, had Blueberry really been waiting for you to come back? How long had he been waiting? It was impossible to tell, especially as your vague knowledge of resets floated into your mind.

A sigh escaped as you closed your eyes, willing your brain to focus on something – _any_ thing – else.

 

*****

 

“SHOULD WE WAKE THE HUMAN UP?”

“nah. let 'em sleep.”

“BUT I FINISHED THE TACOS!”

“is dessert finished, too?”

“OF COURSE!”

The idea of dessert woke you up enough to do more than eavesdrop, eyelids weakly fluttering open. Neither skeleton was looking at you, though you could tell from Pap's legs – all you could see of him – that he was seated on the armrest by your head and Blueberry was standing directly in front of you.

“and the surprise?”

“WHY WOULD I POSSIBLY RISK IT NOT BEING READY, BROTHER?”

Dinner, dessert, and a surprise? After living in the Spectrum soul for so long, you were more than happy to go after those things.

Also, hugs. Spectrum's hugs were shit.

“H-HUMAN?!” Blueberry gasped out, forcing you to focus on him and realize that his widened eye sockets had found your opened eyes. “HOW LONG WERE YOU LISTENING?”

“Tacos,” you grumbled sleepily, earning a chuckle from the skeleton on the arm rest.

Pap lowered a bony hand to rub your head, “you can sleep in more, if you want. however you got here, you must be tired.”

“SPEAKING OF, HUMAN.... SHOULD WE GET IN TOUCH WITH INK?”

You scrunched your eyebrows together, finally sitting up. “Why?”

“you had to have come here from somewhere, right?”

A soft noise of annoyance escaped your throat. “Void, I think?” Both skeletons tensed at your words, but made no move to respond. “I was effectively reborn, and the Spectrum Soul gave me a choice on where to go.”

“I... DO NOT UNDERSTAND, HUMAN.”

You yawned, burying your face in the scarf and sweatshirt. “I had to choose which universe to go to.”

“and you chose us...?”

“YOU WANTED TO COME HERE?!”

“Well..., uh..., yeah?” You raised your gaze, rubbing the remaining sleep from your eyes to clear them. “I mean, Pap did say that I could stay. If I recall correctly,” you continued, turning your gaze to the flushed skeleton, “you were actually pretty adamant about it.”

“a-ah, well, i, uh....”

Blueberry rushed closer, grabbing both of your hands and jumping up and down. “THAT IS WONDERFUL, HUMAN! I AM SO GLAD THAT YOU HAVE CHOSEN TO BE HERE!”

“with us,” Pap added, one eyebrow ridge raised slightly.

Heat flashed across your cheeks as you buried your face in the scarf once more. A groan of embarrassment was the only thing to escape, prompting chuckles from the two skeletons.

“OH! I SHOULD GET THE SURPRISE NOW!”

You raised your gaze with a confused grumble, refusing to meet the gaze of the blushing skeleton to your side as Blueberry skipped out of the room. While his brother was gone, Pap carefully slid an arm around your shoulders. A comforting warmth flooded from his bones, both confusing and surprising. Regardless of the science of it, you happily pressed into that warmth.

“i wasn't expectin' ya to stay here kid.” He let loose a breath of air, leaning into your side a bit. “wasn't actually expectin' ya to come back at all, if i'm being honest.”

“I wasn't either,” you admitted, not hearing Blueberry as he came back into the room. “My soul, the Spectrum, was completely reborn into a new being. They were pretty young when they started giving up. In return for being able to hang out with the original Spectrum, they gave me their body, which it why I can see now. When I woke up, I was in an area filled with... doors that led to each universe.”

“SO YOUR FIRST INSTINCT WAS TO COME HERE?”

“of all the places?”

“Uh, yeah? Haven't we had this part of this conversation before?”

“guess we did. it's just surprisin' and all.”

Blueberry bounded up to you. “WE HEARD A LOT ABOUT YOU FROM CLASSIC DURING ONE OF OUR GET TOGETHERS. YOUR ONLY FAMILY WAS UNDERTALE'S GRILLBY, RIGHT?”

The thought of your adoptive father made your chest constrict, but you merely nodded. “Yeah. Before I met him, I was living in an orphanage. Since I was the oldest kid, I took care of the younger ones.”

“you raised children?”

“I mean, sorta? The adults didn't do much.”

“I KNEW THAT YOU WOULD BE THE BEST MATE!”

You coughed a few times, saliva having gone down your windpipe at his words. “What do you mean ma...te...?” you managed, eyes widening as you realized what was now before you.

Blueberry and Pap were both kneeling in front of you, the former on a couple pillows so he reached his brother's height. In their hands were and a bracelet and necklace, respectively. The bracelet was a simple silver band aside from the white and dark blue gem that matched his Soul and Soul Spark. The necklace was similar, having a silver chain that would make the heart-shaped pendant fall below your collarbone. In the middle of the pendant there was a light gray and light teal gemstone that matched his own soul.

“W-what is this?”

“WE MADE THESE WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING,” Blueberry explained. “MONSTERS DON'T REALLY, UH, COURT. WE SIMPLY ASK ANOTHER TO BE OUR MATE.”

“when you choose a mate, you give them something that has a part of your soul in it.”

“Then the reason the sparks match...?”

“that's right. we were actually surprised when we saw them.”

“IT MUST BE BECAUSE YOU TAUGHT US OF OUR INDIVIDUALITY.”

“But, you're asking me to...?”

“WE WANT YOU TO BE OUR MATE!”

“we were actually going to wait until after dinner, but we couldn't bring ourselves to wait.”

“SO..., HUMAN....”

“whaddya say?”

You managed a single nod, tears escaping your eyes. Things were strange, and you still had a lot to learn about the Spectrum Soul and what it could do – not to mention the magic the soul possessed – but there was no one else you would want to learn with.

 


	24. The Happy End - Ink and Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late chapter, everyone! I was visiting family and we had no internet. Without access to a mobile hotspot, I couldn't post, either.
> 
> Regardless, I plan on answering all the comments from this chapter and the last one tomorrow, so now is the time for any questions! I'm hoping to have the next chapter out by next week!

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Surrounding you was whiteness. For a few moments, dread gripped your heart at the thought it had all been a dream and you were still within the confines of the Spectrum Soul. Once again forced to realize that you would be spending eternity with Spectrum and the others that had formed the soul.

The feeling completely vanished as you saw a page floating in the brightness. Walking up to it, you noticed a beautiful painting of space. Except... it seemed to be moving. Monsters of all sorts moved about. Looking closer, you noticed someone that looked just like the Monster ambassador walking around with a Papyrus.

Slowly, filled with awe, you moved amongst the pages and admired the beautiful artwork. In each one, some combination – or lack thereof – of Monster and Humans were moving around. You spied a few doubles of Frisk, Sans, Papyrus, and even a couple of Grillby living in whatever world their page was.

It was amazing, and you found a hard time finding the exact words for it.

“C'mon, Ink!” a familiar voice shouted, launching you from your reverence.

“Dream, please slow down! I understand why you're so excited, but it doesn't make sense for there to be such a happy feeling here aside from ours!”

“It's not coming from a different page, Ink. I know how to use my powers, and this is definitely coming from this section of the Multiverse!”

You raised an eyebrow at Dream's near excessive excitement. Looking closely, you could see the two skeletons weaving through the pages and making their way to their destination, which you assumed was wherever you currently were. The whole place was sort of confusing. No matter how hard you thought, you couldn't even begin to comprehend how Dream and Ink found their way around.

Dream finally turned the last corner, skidding to a stop as he spotted you beside one of the pages. Yellow-orange tears sprouted magically at his eye sockets, spilling down his cheeks within moments. His smile grew with every passing second.

Ink ran into his companion, having not expected him to stop so suddenly. Both fell to the floor in a tangle of limbs and magic – ink and tears both. It was Dream who spoke first, though his voice was partially muffled by Ink's scarf.

“I told you they were by Flowerfell!”

What the heck was a Flowerfell?

Ink pushed Dream away from him a little, struggling to his feet. He paused halfway through the motion as his eye lights – one a green star and the other a purple diamond – found your form. After a moment of staring, he turned to the side and puked up black ink.

“That is actually really disgusting,” you manged, wincing. “That can't be comfortable.”

While crying your name, Dream rushed to his feet and ran over to you. He barreled into you with so much strength that you toppled to the ground, a snotty and sniffling skeleton burying his head into your stomach.

“We thought you had died just like the first Spectrum,” Ink managed, wiping what remained of his... episode off of his face and out of his sockets. “Y-you... how are you here?”

“It's a long story, if you're willing to sit and listen.”

 

*****

 

“So,” Ink hummed, “after being given this body, you were brought here?”

You bit your lip, considering your next words carefully. “Not exactly. The soul made me choose where I wanted to go.”

At that, Dream's eye lights grew. “You... chose?”

“Yup! I got to choose from all of the places I'd become acquainted with, including the Multiverse.”

“Is there a place you wish to go then?” Ink questioned, fingers smoothing the bristles of his brush anxiously.

At that, you narrowed your eyes in confusion. “I'm... sorry? Didn't I say that I chose to come here?” You gnawed at you lip in worry once more. “I mean, if you don't want me to stay here, that's a completely different story. I mean, I didn't even ask and I'd hate to impose.”

Dream leaned forward, eyes brightening. “You want to stay here with us?!”

“That was sort of the plan, if I'm being honest. But, like I said, I'd hate to impose. If I'd be in the way, I can choose another place, I guess.” Your shoulders began to slump. “I'd like some time to think about it, though.”

It was Ink who rushed forward, grabbing your hands. “Please stay!”

A grin nearly split your face as you replied, “I'd be happy to!”

 

*****

 

“Sorry, Fell,” Ink hummed quietly. “I don't know how Underswap Chara managed to get here.”

“These things happen sometimes, ya know?” Dream added with a smile. “They'll be back home soon!”

Fell raised an eyebrow ridge, proceeding to make his eye roll as obvious as possible. “and how do you plan on catching them if you're both here chatting the damn day away, huh?”

“We have help, of course!” Dream called back. “Have we not seen you since they joined us?”

“I don't think so,” Ink added. “They've only come with us on a couple missions so far.”

“who the hell?”

“Now, now, Fell! You should watch you language.”

“you should watch your fu-”

“Don't swear in front of the child!” you called, turning the corner with Chara smiling happily on your shoulders.

Fell stared for a few moments, shock clear on his face as he took in your appearance. “p-pet...?”

A dark brown cape, matching Dream's in style but Ink's in color, adorned your neck and back. The clasp sat just in front of your left shoulder, picturing a color wheel instead of the star that was on dreams. Across your chest and waist were two belts possessing different magic devices. The one on your chest was the same as Ink's with the mood changing bottles. A few canisters of swirling magic were hooked to your belt. By tossing one, you could create a portal to wherever you wished. Ink had given them to you in case of an emergency.

Beneath the cape, you wore a white t-shirt that had long since been covered in different colored paints. Nothing could clean in now, which was honestly fine with you. The blue pants that matched Dream's had met a similar fate, though to a much lesser extent. Out of all your clothes, the only untouched pieces were the cape and brown boots Ink had given you.

“Fell, you should know better than to curse in front of a _child_.”

“pet, you're alive!”

“That's not their name, Fell,” Ink cut in, grabbing his brush from his back.

“They _do_ have a name,” Dream added, moving over and slipping one of his arms around your waist.

You looked around some as Ink worked on finishing the portal to Underswap. “I didn't realize Underfell had reached pacifist level, though. We'll have to move the page to that section.”

“You're right! Oh man, I can't _wait_!” Dream cheered.

On your shoulders, Chara laughed. “You guys are fun. You should visit for a while.”

“Maybe I can find the time,” you replied, leaning a bit to look the child in the face. “I'm just _so_ busy.”

“Okay, you three,” Ink cut in, smile clear in his twinkling eyes. “We've got places to go and people to see. We'll make some time to drop by here again.”

You waved at your old skeletal companion as you moved toward the portal. “See you soon, Fell!”

The skeleton was still in complete shock as the portal closed behind you and your friends.

“So, Chara,” you hummed. “Where are we bringing you, anyway?”

“Papyrus and Sans were supposed to be watching me.”

“Blueberry and Pap it is! Ah, man, I haven't seen them yet, either! Ready to go, boys?” You asked the two skeletons behind you as Chara told you where to go. As you went, you didn't look behind you once, and didn't notice their glowing pupils turning to hearts.

Besides, you knew that they'd always follow. Just the same as you'd be behind them wherever they went.

 


End file.
